architecture 4 us

Have you ever been thinking about living inside a hill ? Forrest Fulton Architecture has designed an artificial hill that maybe can accommodate this. The concept is to stitch the city and the landscape together, to provide a holistic, ultra-green lifestyle, somewhere between rural hillside living and dense cultured urbanity. 900,000 sq ft area on Yerevan,  Armenia is proposed as this area  supports a resilient, high-value spatial fabric, dense with overlapping natural and urban phenomenon. This sustainable concept is chosen instead of a towering iconic building. The project will cover hotel, residential, office, retail, exhibition, cinema, health center, underground parking, public green space, plazas, and terraced gardens on a site.

To extend the natural amphitheater on Yerevan, also to create more capacity for the viewing of Yerevan and Mt. Ararat, the eternal icon of Armenia, the project morphs the common urban element of Yerevan, the superblock, to the site. The hill is also covered by native plants irrigated by recycled greywater. Unique perforations just like the traditional Armenian lace needlework provide terraced exterior space, natural ventilation, and amazing views for the promenade, hotel rooms, residences, and office space.

Due to its shape, Lace Hill will also provide passive cooling portions for Yerevan, during summer. On summer, the north breeze can pass the hill’s void to provide evaporative cooling mechanism for the city below. The plantation will absorb solar heat, filter the air and water-borne toxin, also support animal live.  The site uses geothermal wells and radiant floors to provide heat and cool spaces. Recycled gray water irrigates agriculture and hill plantings. The lace perforated surfaces also maximize the sun direct lighting for the hill’s insider.

Programmatically, the activities in the project are linked to sun exposure.  Living spaces run the long south face of the hill, maximizing direct sun, terraces, and views. Offices, which need indirect light, are along the north face of the hill. A narrow office floor plate stepping down toward the south provides adequate, diffuse daylight. Retail, restaurants, exhibition halls, a cinema, and a health center line the promenade at the first level.