Forestbridge: Urban Environment in Dilijan Forests

Source: http://www.construction.am

 

“Forestbridge”- residential and mixed-use development is planned to be built in a forested area adjacent to the Best Western Hotel in Dilijan. The author of the project is Archangel architectural studio.
The construction of the building is planned to take place in a small glade in a densely forested area with a funnel-shaped depth. The whole complex will be located in a forest: the development integrated with the natural environment will unite people and nature. The nature here invades the architecture, making it one whole ensemble. According to Artak Knyazyan, the founder and head of Archangel architectural studio, several architectural solutions contributed to this, and one of them is the creation of green sections on the facades, “as if apologizing to nature”. Actually, the former glade has been filled with greenery. There are trees in pots and on rectangular logs on all the balconies.

The funnel shape of the site inspired the idea of connecting the building to the forest with help of bridges. In addition to the two glazed staircases and bridges designed between the three buildings, another feature of the complex is the masking of open balconies with netting. Thanks to this, the balconies will not be polluted by leaves and twigs falling from the trees. The chief architect of the project, Tigran Sahakyan, presented some details of the project. The building will be located in a funnel-shaped space covering about 2000 m². The first floor will be a public zone with a restaurant, café, gaming and other service areas, in front of which there will be a shared swimming pool. The pool waters are visually connected with the nearby river through the filtration system, once again emphasizing the connection to nature. Above the public zone come 6, 7 and 9-storey residential buildings. “The structures connecting the apartment buildings are glazed. It leaves an impression that the nature is passing through the building. And the green of the balconies creates an impression of a vertical forest, as if it were the natural extension of the forest,” said Tigran Sahakyan. The building will be faced with white stone. The green zones on the façade will contrast the white façade and emphasize more connection with nature. The development will have a 2.5-story underground parking lot. No felling of trees will be done in the area. Moreover, the forest will be filled with trees placed on the terraces, creating one ensemble with nature. This project is an interesting example of a vertical forest-structure, which has a trend towards the future and the architecture of the future.