The origins of the formation of the Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture are very deep, dating back to 1936, when the Professional Chair of Architecture was created at the Technical Faculty through the efforts of the prominent architect Nikoghayos Buniatyan, which he headed until 1938. From 1938-1944, the Chair was headed by Harutyun Zakyan.
From 1945 to 1990, the Head of the Chair of Architecture was Academician of the RA National Academy of Sciences, Honored Artist of the Republic, Doctor of Architecture, Professor Varazdat Harutyunyan, who made a great contribution to the establishment of the Chair. Thanks to him, since 1978, the training of architects specializing in the restoration of historical and architectural monuments has been initiated and continues today. Three textbooks have been published under the authority of Varazdat Harutyunyan: “Architecture of the Ancient World”, “History of Armenian Architecture” and “Restoration of Architectural Monuments” (co-authors: A. Grigoryan, G. Nalbandyan). Thanks to him, a rich library of professional books was created and still operates at the University today.
From 1991 to 1993, Doctor of Architecture, Professor Arshavir Toramanyan was appointed Head of the Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture and Restoration of Monuments.
From 1993 to 2015, the Chair was headed by Doctor of Architecture, Professor Yuri Safaryan.
Since 2015, the Chair has been headed by PhD in Architecture, Professor Emma Harutyunyan.
The main mission of Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture remains the delivery of core theoretical courses in architecture, the preservation of historical and architectural monuments, the process of their scientific research, restoration and reconstruction, as well as the formation of scientific principles in this field. These form the basis of the theoretical, course, and graduation works of the Chair. By studying and analyzing the historical environment, theoretical research works, the student presents a project for the preservation, restoration and reconstruction of historical and architectural heritage. A student who has chosen the specialty of an architect takes his first steps under the supervision of the lecturers of the Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture, who deliver professional practical courses in the Fundamentals of Architectural Design and Volumetric Spatial Composition.
One of the main achievements of the Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture is its participation in the review-contests of graduation works of various architectural schools. Over the past thirty years, numerous graduation works have been awarded with the highest “Grand Prix” and first-class diplomas in various international review-contest.
The Chair is involved in the European Union’s IACOBUS programme of important practical importance, whose members include the National School of Architecture of Clermont-Ferrand in France, the University of A Coruña in Spain, the University of Regensburg in Germany, and the School of Architecture of Liège in Belgium.
In cooperation with the Embassy of Lithuania in the Republic of Armenia and with the direct involvement of the Chair, a corner dedicated to the renowned Lithuanian art historian Jurgis Baltrušaitis Jr. — who made significant contributions to the study and popularization of the architectural heritage of Armenia— has been opened at the University. Since 2017, the Baltrušaitis Award has been presented annually for the best graduation work of the year dedicated to the preservation of historical and cultural heritage within the Faculty of Architecture of the University. Since 2018, with the support of the German Volkswagen Foundation and in collaboration with the Georg August University of Göttingen, the Chair has been implementing the program “Preservation of the Armenian Historical Stone Architecture,” within the framework of which three summer schools have been organized.
Many of the lecturers of the Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture are also involved in the scientific-research activities of the University. The main directions of the scientific research of the Chair include the theoretical research of the main issues of Armenian and world architecture and analysis of prospective development trends, the study of complex issues of Armenian and international historical and architectural heritage, and the optimization of methodological issues of achieving professional mastery of architects, especially in the fields of restoration of architectural monuments and reconstruction of the architectural environment.
As a result of numerous scientific research, articles have been published in both local and foreign journals and presented at Conferences, in which the lecturers of the Chair are active participants. Another important function is the training of young personnel and the supervision of the scientific work of postgraduate students.
The staff of the Chair includes 6 Doctors, Professors, 2 PhD in Architecture, Professors, 3 professors, 11 PhDs, Associate Professors, 5 Associate Professors, 12 PhDs, Assistants, 10 Assistants, and 18 Lecturers.
