In The Mountains Of Svaneti

2024 Author: David Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 02:26

Natalya Khomutova, Associate Professor of the Department of Architecture, YaGTU:

- And what is the topic of your diploma? - It is very difficult. Film "Vertical", 1966 "Film" Vertical "- that is, perhaps, all that was known about Svaneti and the climbers before the start of their graduation projects to eight bachelors and three masters of the Institute of Architecture and Design of YAGTU. Ahead was a complete unknown, a small piece of paper with an approximate terms of reference and shooting from google-maps in hand. Divided into two groups, we set off on our first expedition, which later turned into a large research project.

Many will probably be surprised, but almost all of the most titled climbers of Georgia came out of this small mountainous area, all the Georgian alpine camps of the Soviet era were also here. In total, in the 70s-80s. five of them were built: "Zeskho", "Ailama", "Nakra", "Shikhra", "Svaneti". There were also branches of the alpine camps "Zeskho" and "Ailama" in the village of Lentekhi. Shikhra was blown away by a rockfall, Nakra “suffered because of women” (this is a favorite local legend) - it was closed and moved to the site of the Ushba camp site, merging with the Svaneti alpine camp. "Zasho" and "Ailama" operated until the collapse of the USSR, later they were closed, abandoned and plundered. In general, almost all alpine camps on the territory of the former Soviet Union have such a sad fate. What to do with these territories is not very clear. They clearly cannot exist within the framework of the old program in modern reality. We tried to find this way and approach to renovating the territories of former alpine camps using the example of Svaneti.

For the design, the camps "Zeskho" and "Ailama" in Lower Svaneti, their branches in the village of Lentekhi and the alpine camp "Svaneti" (tourist center "Ushba") in Mestia were chosen.

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1/8 Ailama Mountaineering Camp Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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2/8 Zeskho Mountaineering Camp Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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3/8 Zeskho Mountaineering Camp Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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4/8 Alpine camps in the village of Lentekhi Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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5/8 Alpine camps in the village of Lentekhi Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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6/8 Climbing camp "Svaneti" in Mestia Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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7/8 Climbing camp "Svaneti" in Mestia Photo courtesy of YaGTU
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8/8 Mountaineering camp "Svaneti" in Mestia Photo courtesy of YaGTU

Below are six projects for the development of these territories proposed by students.

Museum and tourist complex "Magnificent Six", the village of Lentekhi

Daria Tumanova and Anna Novozhilova

(diploma project - bachelors, supervisors: Nikita Kolbovsky, Natalia Khomutova)

“For Svaneti, mountaineering is not an empty phrase. It is a memory and pride for those who were able to conquer Northern Ushba ("Mirror" of Ushba). The idea of moving a team of climbers (the famous six) in a bundle became the prototype of the spirit of the place in our project.

We decided to create a tourist complex that would be based on the silhouettes of old Georgian houses, representing the image of the Svan community. The aesthetics of local materials, especially local stone, and the history of the ascent of a group of six Svans to Northern Ushba gave us the idea of a bundle. In smooth waves, moving from one area to another, she ties everyone together, forcing the whole team to work as one mechanism. Each turn forms a certain public space, where buildings serve as connecting points at the break. Each building - the top forms a common "ridge" of the complex.

As each of the climbers had their own character, so each bend of the main street has its own function: a sports building and a climbing wall, a rental point and a shop, a group of six "climbing houses", an observation tower and a media center.

The basis or core of the museum function is formed by six guest houses, where the ground floors serve as a meeting place and a small living room intended for an exhibition dedicated to each of the athletes. We have identified in each of the climbers the most valuable human qualities that help to overcome difficulties and conquer peaks. These are strength and courage, loyalty, sociability and the ability to work in a team, courage and courage, self-discipline and discipline, pride and independence in decision-making. The qualities of each formed the basis for the shaping of his personalized house, turning, in fact, into an open-air museum to remind people of the amazing story of courage and true friendship."

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1/4 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Daria Tumanova and Anna Novozhilova, YaGTU
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2/4 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Daria Tumanova and Anna Novozhilova, YaGTU
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3/4 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Daria Tumanova and Anna Novozhilova, YaGTU
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4/4 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Daria Tumanova and Anna Novozhilova, YaGTU

Museum and tourist complex "Magnificent Six", the village of Lentekhi

Julia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya

(thesis project - bachelors, supervisor: Natalia Khomutova)

“The search for a compositional solution is based on the metaphor of an ice ax driven into a rock and leaving a split, like a climber's footprint. The concept of cracking ice forms shards-territories, within which volumes form with courtyards full of light and air. The structure of the cracks, in turn, forms convenient pedestrian connections, connecting all parts of the complex.

The projected complex for 200 people includes: the building of the museum and educational center, the building of the spa complex with free-standing saunas, a group of residential buildings with rooms of different types (hotel, hostel, detached houses), a dining room and a restaurant, existing buildings of branches of the Zeskho alpine camps and "Ailama" and camping. The main role in the complex of buildings is played by the museum, as an accent of volumetric-spatial composition.

The exposition of the museum consists of 6 towers, each of which is dedicated to a member of the team of climbers (participants of the famous ascent of Ushba in 1964). The towers are light windows that metaphorically shed light on the museum space. They are united by a common volume, which is a multifunctional space of the educational center. The shape and location of each tower is related to the personality of the climber; the choice of functions for the towers is also not accidental.

Tower 1. Sociable Mikhail Khergiani got along well with people. He was a fanatical climber, strong and fast. Therefore, the most dynamic high tower overlooking the main square of the complex is an observation deck.

Tower 2. The second tower embodies the light-hearted Jokia Gugawa. He led the alpine camps "Zeskho" and "Ailama", as well as the famous folk ensemble. In this tower there is a cinema, which unites the guests of the complex under its roof.

Tower 3. Jokia Gugava was close to Givi Tserediani, whose tower is located nearby. The humble and kind Givi worked all his life in the rescue teams. This tower houses the alpine school's classroom and a vertical exhibition with maps and chronology of all ascents.

Tower 4. The next tower is associated with the name of Mikhail Khergiani Jr. Kind and outgoing, he loved to be the center of attention. In this tower, located in the middle of the route, there is an exposition that tells the story of the creation of the Zeskho and Ailama alpine camps.

Tower 5. The fifth tower, distinguished by a strict right angle on one side and a slope on the other, personifies Shalva Margiani - the most scrupulous, demanding and strict member of the team. Until a ripe old age, Shalva worked as an instructor. This tower is located next to the classroom, and inside there is a climbing wall.

Tower 6. Closing the exposition is the tower of an integral member of the Six - Jumber Kakhiani, finishing the route with an exposition of awards and achievements dedicated to the team's contribution to the development of mountaineering as one of the most popular sports in Georgia.

Once in the museum, the visitor lives one day in the life of a climber, where the beginning of the exposition and the entrance is sunrise, and the end is the starry sky and a demonstration of sports achievements. In the middle of the way, light begins to penetrate into the rooms through the window openings, and in the intermediate spaces of the museum there are classrooms for the alps school.

The architectural solution of the museum conveys the rocky and ice formations of the surrounding landscape and symbolically transforms the authentic form of the Svan ancestral tower. As in traditional architecture, the tower stands near each ancestral house, so in our museum it symbolizes a specific name, allowing the modern form of the building to be integrated into the existing context on an associative level."

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1/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi village Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU
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2/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU
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3/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU
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4/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU
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5/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU
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6/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU
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7/7 The Magnificent Six Museum and Memorial Complex, Lentekhi Village Authors: Yulia Musatova and Anastasia Voronetskaya, YaGTU

Alpine camp "Svaneti", the village of Mestia

Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya

(thesis project - bachelors, supervisor: Natalia Khomutova)

The idea of the project is rather unexpected - to show that the spectrum of emotions, motives and feelings of a climber are equivalent to the experiences of an astronaut. The chosen territory contains a vivid reminder of the Soviet mountaineering past, and a reference to the Soviet dream of space is quite appropriate here, because, in fact, this dream, as well as the desire to conquer mountain peaks, is dictated by a craving for the new, unknown; faith in the ideals of a bright future, attainable through work and overcoming.

The general plan of the climbing camp is a kind of solar system with a large central element, an amphitheater. To convey the idea through architecture, the students decided to build on the visual images of space settlements, as well as the aesthetics of retrofuturism.

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1/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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2/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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3/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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4/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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5/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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6/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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7/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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8/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU
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9/9 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Evgeny Shabanov and Anastasia Chinovataya, YaGTU

Alpine camp "Svaneti", the village of Mestia

Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova

(course project - masters, supervisor: Natalia Khomutova)

The students tried to adapt the existing Soviet architecture on the selected site to the historical and cultural features of the area. The prototype for the main building of the complex - the hotel - was a traditional Svan house. The complex includes a stationary part (residential and educational and sports clusters, a catering unit) and a temporary part (a tent camp, a field kitchen and showers).

In the formation of the master plan, the decisive factors were the pronounced relief of the territory, the preserved foundations of the buildings, as well as the existing road and the existing pedestrian connections. The observation deck hanging over the slope became the center of the composition and the main point of attraction.

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1/7 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU
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2/7 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU
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3/7 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU
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4/7 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU
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5/7 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU
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6/7 Svaneti mountain camp, Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU
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7/7 Mountain camp "Svaneti", Mestia village Authors: Marina Batalova and Anna Bulatova, YaGTU

Alpine camp "Zeskho"

Veronica Shashkova

(Bachelor's thesis project, supervisors: Andrey Volkov, Natalia Khomutova)

The image of the alpine camp "Zeskho" is a simple type of a village house familiar to everyone with a pitched roof and a chimney. Residential buildings are inscribed in the forest in such a way that it seems as if the trees have already grown around the constructed building. In the general plan of the camp, three paths of the climber's movement are clearly traced: a clear straight line and "bypassing", and groups of houses are formed each around its center: public - around the square, residential - around the barbecue area, like travelers gathered around a fire.

The main scenario for climbers: settling, training, meals, equipment rental, going to the mountains. Additional scenario (for sportsmen tourists): check-in, food, leisure (cafe, lounge area, rest by the river, observation deck), rental of sports equipment.

All houses are made of wood on stone foundations. Georgian motives can be traced in the facades.

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1/6 Alpine camp "Zeskho" Author: Veronika Shashkova, YaGTU
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2/6 Alpine camp "Zeskho" Author: Veronika Shashkova, YaGTU
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3/6 Alpine camp "Zeskho" Author: Veronika Shashkova, YaGTU
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4/6 Alpine camp "Zeskho" Author: Veronika Shashkova, YaGTU
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5/6 Alpine camp "Zeskho" Author: Veronika Shashkova, YaGTU
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6/6 Alpine camp "Zeskho" Author: Veronika Shashkova, YaGTU

Alpine camp "Ailama"

Anastasia Sarykova

(Bachelor's degree project, supervisor: Vladimir Bogoroditsky)

The planning solution is based on active terracing of the territory of the alpine camp, where objects of mass concentration of people are located at the top, and objects of private life in the distance, in silence and harmony with nature. The "A" -shaped houses at the same time resemble mountain peaks and alpinist tents, which used to occupy most of the base.

In the outer decoration of the roof and walls of the building of the alpine camp, an old Georgian barn board was used - embossed, textured, bearing the spirit of the history of the area. Each board has its own unique pattern of wood grain, knots, cuttings, defects formed by time, which give the material an aesthetic artistic value.