MVRDV begins the EU TUMO Convergence Center in Yerevan
Designed by MVRDV, the EU TUMO Convergence Center in Yerevan, Armenia has begun construction on a hillside site overlooking the Hrazdan River Gorge. The project expands TUMO’s campus in Tumanyan Park with a flexible building that brings education, research, and technology companies into a shared environment.
Launched in 2011, TUMO provides free training in creative and technical fields and has reached more than 100,000 young people. From its base in Armenia, it has grown to include centers in Paris, Tirana, Berlin, and Mumbai. The new facility in Yerevan expands this mission by accommodating start-ups and industry partners alongside students.
visualizations © MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
a glowing building wrapped in translucent polycarbonate
MVRDV’s 120-meter-long building sits atop a sunken base and cantilevers at both ends over steep terrain outside Yerevan, Armenia. The architects shape the elongated form to read as a single volume, elevated to increase visibility from across the gorge. The podium lifts the structure while extending the topography of Tumanyan Park toward the facade.
Large glazed openings at each end frame long views. To the north lies the river gorge while, to the south, Mount Ararat rises beyond the city. The building’s orientation establishes a direct visual relationship with these landmarks and embeds the project within the geography of Armenia.
A translucent polycarbonate facade wraps the exterior. By day, it filters sunlight into the interior and by night, it emits a diffuse glow that reveals the depth of the atriums behind the skin.
the EU TUMO Convergence Center begins construction in Yerevan
lofty atriums and flexible interiors
MVRDV organizes five stories of educational and workspaces around three full-height atriums, each connected to the ground floor. The central entrance hall contains a café and digital lounge and is traversed by a bridge that extends outward as a viewing platform. At one end, a large event hall accommodates conferences and lectures. At the other, vertical connections link co-working spaces at different scales.
The atriums operate as social spaces and environmental buffers. Separate heating and cooling systems allow broader temperature variation within these volumes, supported by anti-stratification fans and low-temperature floor heating. This approach reduces operational energy demand while maintaining comfort in adjacent work areas.
Floor slabs use a bubble-deck system to lower concrete consumption and overall weight. Two central cores and open floor plates enable reconfiguration over time to allow the building to adapt to changing programs.
MVRDV designs the 120 meter-long bar to cantilever over the steep hillside
a campus for collaboration in armenia
The landscape surrounding MVRDV’s Yerevan, Armenia campus continues the rocky character of Tumanyan Park, introducing paths, seating areas, and informal gathering spaces. Routes connect the building to the park and to new vantage points overlooking the Hrazdan River Gorge.
With the EU TUMO Convergence Center, the architects positions architecture as part of Yerevan’s growing technology ecosystem. Elevated above the terrain and designed for long-term adaptability, the project supports collaboration between students, researchers, and industry within a setting defined by the distinct landscape of Armenia.
large glazed openings frame views toward Mount Ararat and the city
a translucent polycarbonate facade filters daylight and glows after dark
three full height atriums organize five stories of learning and workspaces
a central bridge passes through the main hall and extends as a viewing platform
flexible floor plates allow the building to adapt to changing programs
project info:
name: EU TUMO Convergence Center
location: Yerevan, Armenia
client: TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Simonian Educational Foundation
status: under construction
visualizations: © MVRDV
founding partner in charge: Winy Maas
partner: Stefan de Koning
director: Gideon Maasland
design team: Ronald Hoogeveen, Edina Peli, Rico van de Gevel, Katarzyna Nowak, Angel Sanchez Navarro, Valentina Fantini, Prajakta Gawde, Renata Lopes Tavares, Daniele Dalbosco, Jose Manuel Garcia, Floris Dreesmann, Francesca Cambi, Mohan Yuan, Konstantina Lola, Helena Kajszczak, Sun Ah Jeong, Konstantina Kousari, Bartosz Michałowski, Marta Vilaseca Piera, Sara Abi Merched
MVRDV NEXT: Sanne van der Burgh, Boudewijn Thomas, Jaka Korla, Zhijia Xiong
MVRDV interior: Aser Gimenez Ortega, Turker Naci Saylan, Basak Gunalp, Sofia Mermigka Angeli
copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
partners:
co-architect: TUMO Architectural Department, Yerevan
project coordination: TUMO Construction Department, Yerevan
structural engineer: EOC Eckersly O’Callaghan, London
MEP: MET Majdalani Engineering and Trading, Lebanon
cost calculation: MultiCal, TUMO Construction Department
building physics, thermal analysis: EK Lab, London
facade engineering: EK Lab, London
environmental advisor: Transsolar
BREEAM assessor: Carbon Conscious Limited, UK
acoustic advisor: MMG Acoustical Consultants
lighting design: Triangle, Yerevan
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