NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan and Chairman of the Urban Development Committee Yeghiazar Vardanyan met with specialists in the field of Urban Development at the Chamber of Architects of Armenia to discuss issues of the field. The meeting was also attended by Rector of National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia Manuk Barseghyan, students and lecturers.

The main directions of reforms of the field, upcoming programmes were discussed with the professional community, issues and proposals for their solution were jointly identified.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan attached the importance to the discussions with the professional community and highlighted the work being carried out in the field of historical and cultural monuments. In recent years, the Government has significantly increased the budget for the restoration of monuments. Compared to 2022, state allocations in the field of the preservation and restoration of monuments in 2025 increased by more than 500 percent. “However, this growth also poses serious challenges, as it requires appropriate professional skills and qualified personnel. Our main goal is the restoration and preservation of monuments. Any careless or incomplete professional step in these works can backfire.”

Zhanna Andreasyan emphasized and attached importance to the role of the Scientific-Methodological Council operating in the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, which ensures professional involvement in both the design and restoration and reinforcement implementation stages, exercising appropriate control.

“In the preservation of cultural heritage and its proper transfer to future generations, it is necessary to pay great attention to the training of personnel. The number of monuments requiring immediate intervention is large, and the shortage of professional personnel is obvious in this field,” he said, emphasizing the role of universities in terms of training, retraining and capacity building of specialists.

Chairman of the Urban Development Committee Yeghiazar Vardanyan highlighted the reforms in the field of Urban Development, including the rating of licensed organizations, the digitalization of Urban Development processes, the introduction of a digital platform for technical control, and the creation of an Urban Development Cadastre.

“The most important step in the near future will be the development of the main project for the resettlement of the Republic of Armenia, within the framework of which I expect the active involvement of the professional community, so that we can jointly develop development prospects and find effective options for resolving problems,” said the Chairman of the Committee, emphasizing the importance of collaborative joint work.

Touching upon the issue of increasing the role of project authors and assessing their work, he informed that the idea of ​​increasing the share of author control of projects in programs is on the agenda of discussions.

NUACA Rector Manuk Barseghyan informed that the university has initiated the process of international accreditation of the “Architecture” academic programme. According to him, the changes arising from the new law “On Higher Education and Science” should be reflected in parallel in the new regulations of architectural activities.

The meeting also touched upon two important anniversaries related to architecture: the start of the construction of Republic Square and the 100th anniversary of the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after A. Spendiaryan. Zhanna Andreasyan informed that in connection with these two events, jubilee committees were formed by the Prime Minister’s decision, emphasizing the appreciation of these important architectural complexes. The Minister emphasized the importance of the active involvement of the architectural community in the jubilee programmes, informing that the 100th anniversary of the start of the construction of Republic Square has also been included in the UNESCO Calendar of Famous People and Important Events for 2026-2027.

President of the Chamber of Architects Aleksander Badalyan extended his gratitude for the opportunity to discuss the accumulated issues in a direct atmosphere. He expressed hope that meetings in such a format will be frequent so that the members of the Chamber are constantly informed about new sectoral initiatives and participate in their development.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan and Chairman of the Urban Development Committee Yeghiazar Vardanyan emphasized that both the Ministry and the Committee are open to suggestions, constructive discussions and questions in order to jointly determine the most effective ways to regulate the field.