NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA

On the initiative of the UN Population Fund and the adviser to the RA Prime Minister Mr. Suren Maghakyan, a one-week seminar entitled “Universal Design, Accessibility, Reasonable Accommodations” was held at National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia. The aim of the Seminar was to introduce students to the concept and philosophy of universal design, as well as its application in the international market. The course also had another goal: to understand how students relate to the topic at University. The students participated in the three-hour course with great interest, an interesting discussion took place during which the students asked the questions they were interested in and got the answers. Each day of the training was divided into two parts, the first part was conducted by disability expert, universal design and accessibility consultant Suren Maghakyan, and the second part – by architect, universal design and disability art consultant Narek Minassian. Each day different groups of students participated, so about 120 industry specialists, lecturers and students took part. During the Seminars, the international experience, as well as the problems related to the RA were presented to the students.

Presenting his experience, Narek Minassian mentioned: “One of the biggest problems in the international market and in Armenia in general is that only at the end of the design they remember that they should pay more attention to the comfort of people with disabilities. Usually, universal design dictates that from the first moment when you start the project, it should be implemented taking into account all these issues, i.e. it is possible for a person with a disability to live in that building, apartment, and everything should also be comfortable for that people and everyone in general.”

National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia continuously keeps in focus the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, as these are the goals that address the major development challenges that people face both in Armenia and around the world.