Tuff Vault Café

Yerevan is called the pink city because of its tuff, the volcanic stone of almost every historic building. This concept asks how that material can belong to a contemporary space, without imitating the past.

The hall is covered by a single continuous shell of five flowing vaults, form-found in Grasshopper so that they work in pure compression and land on only a few slim points. The shell is built from small, thin tuff tiles laid in herringbone, a precise, light reading of a heavy, familiar stone. Concealed light along its edges washes the vaults, so the ceiling becomes the main source of atmosphere.

Everything below stays quiet: a black basalt floor, light microcement walls, and a monolithic tuff bar with a thin brass top. One long white wall is kept free for projection, turning the café into a gallery for generative and audio-visual work in the evenings, and linking the space to the studio's own art practice.