LINE: Armenian Architecture Biennial 2025

Pollution, instability, and change have been in the air in Yerevan for many years. Rapid urbanization, aging infrastructure, a construction boom, political turbulence, and an increasing number of vehicles have left Yerevantsis feeling as if their futures are up in the air. The smoggy haze that blankets the city at times is a visible reminder of these challenges.

Sometimes unstable, sometimes not yet settled or decided, the atmosphere in Yerevan needs actions to be taken. The moment has come to clear the air and foster a healthier, more vibrant environment by increasing awareness and promoting a new way of thinking.

We encourage participants to explore the invisible essence of air, initiating the conversation that needs to be had—through public art installations that will be built in Yerevan in September 2025. Dust, love, clouds, planes, unspoken words—what else is floating in the air? It is time for us to take a breath and make the hidden visible.
 

WHO CAN APPLY

All interested architects, artists, urbanists, and creative individuals regardless of location, age, or experience are invited to submit a proposal. The application process is free of charge.

BUDGET
 

LINE will provide up to 4,000 USD covering production costs and honorariums of the selected proposal.  In case the budget exceeds the amount designated by the Biennial, the applicants are welcome to provide additional funding from other sources.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

The international jury will evaluate all received proposals based on the quality of the idea and its direct reference to the main concept of LINE: Armenian Architecture Biennial 2025. All suggested projects must have a clear relation to the theme of the Biennial “Up in the Air”.

   - Submissions should be in PDF format, in 3-4 pages maximum.
   - Applications must be submitted in English or Armenian languages.
   - Submitted proposals should include a rendered visual, a dimensioned architectural drawing, and a text conveying a clear idea. It should also include a construction plan and a budget considering the Armenian context.
   - We suggest selecting a public space in Yerevan as a point of reference for submitted proposals and concepts.
   - Applications and all related questions should be directed to: submit@linebiennial.com. Please, indicate in the subject line the “Open Call Submission” you are applying for or the inquiry it relates to. Applicants will receive confirmation of submitted documents within 24 hours. In case, confirmation is not received, please, resubmit the application package once again.

The selected participants will work with the LINE team to coordinate with the municipality and finalize the installation locations.
 

JURY

Michel Mossessian

Michel, through Mossessian Architecture, has successfully designed and delivered architecturally innovative schemes in the UK and internationally including UK, China, Qatar, Morocco, and France. Including London projects like 5 Merchant Square in Paddington, and Argent’s buildings S1 and S2 in King’s Cross, one of which is the offices for Google Deepmind.  Led by a vision of creating culturally responsive architecture, Michel has sought out like-minded organizations, such as UNESCO and the MCC, and worked on the world heritage site of Fez Medina in Morocco. He designed Makkah Museum in Saudi Arabia, a museum of the Islamic faith and also completed 26 buildings across the four stages of Doha’s iconic Msheireb regeneration scheme including the main square, as well as the ExxonMobil Technology Centre in Shanghai.

Garine Boghossian

Garine Boghossian is an architect, urbanist, and researcher based in New York. Her work experience includes urban and regional planning projects worldwide. She is currently developing a decolonial atlas of Armenian neighborhoods in modern-day Turkey based on mental maps produced by genocide survivors. Garine has taught architecture and urban design at Northeastern University and the Boston Architecture College. Her work and writings have appeared in the Venice Biennale for Architecture, the Triennale di Milano, and the Funambulist magazine, among others. Garine is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the American University of Beirut.

Tinatin Gurgenidze

Tinatin Gurgenidze is an urban researcher, curator, and author. She lives and works
between Tbilisi and Berlin. Tinatin is the author of several publications and projects dealing with urban topics in Tbilisi and other East European cities. Recently she has established an alternative researching and learning project Common Territories. In 2024 she was one of the jury members of the EU Prize for Architecture Mies van
der Rohe. Tinatin is also a co-founder and one of the artistic directors of the Tbilisi Architecture Biennial.

Manushak Titanyan

Architectural historian and preservationist, Manushak focuses on conserving Armenian and Artsakh’s cultural heritage, including the restoration of Amaras Monastery. Her teaching and expertise emphasize the importance of preserving historical architecture.

Shant Charoian, Sasha Dorfman, Arevik Vardanyan

The founding team behind the biennial.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Submission closes: December 15, 11:59 pm Armenia Time.