STREET FOOD PAVILION FOR VARDO
Architecture / Pavilion Design / Concept Development
2025
01/
Overview
A lightweight pavilion built to hold two conceptual cafés — Losh and Gata — inside two compact outdoor public spaces. Rotonde asserts itself through an iconic silhouette, opening a dialogue with Dilijan's architectural diversity while reinterpreting local construction traditions.
02/
Context & Structure
The pavilion is designed to stand out while staying sensitive to context — Dilijan's traditional architecture and a neoclassical staircase nearby. Its cylindrical form echoes the city's architectural memory, evoking landmarks like the 19th-century Rotunda, the Soviet-era Khanjian House, and the Garun Restaurant. Structurally, it rests light on a minimal basement — professionally engineered, yet built on the traditional knowledge and vernacular craft of the region's Molokan descendants.
03/
Design & Experience
At its core, a two-level brick hearth built around the region's traditional wood-fired oven becomes both the spatial and symbolic center. As visitors ascend the spiral stair or approach via footbridge and garden, each vantage — terrace, rooftop, interior — offers a distinct, embodied view of the city and mountains beyond. The space flexes for workshops, tastings, markets, private events, or everyday encounters, addressing Dilijan's real shortage of informal public space with somewhere to eat, rest, and connect.
