Gagarin Valley - Armenia's Garden of Eden

Armenia’s Gagarin Valley is to be transformed into a “garden of eden”, a future-proofed landscape that’ll welcome a new generation of residents, according to Dutch firm MVRDV.

It’s masterplan for the 34,000 hectare area includes 12,000 new green-roofed homes, cycle lanes and walking paths, and the introduction of 10,000 new plant species with a system of canals and reservoirs to help convert it into a region of sustainable agriculture and ecotourism.

Gagarin Valley is a patchwork of land plots. All images provided by MVRDV

Named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - the first man to go to outer space - the 34,000-hectare valley lies around 50 kilometres from the capital Yerevan. MVRDV was commissioned by the Armenian non-profit DAR Foundation for Regional Development and Competitiveness to develop a masterplan making the area more sustainable and diverse. It’ll make use of Gagarin’s existing Soviet buildings and traditional Armenian farmhouses to reduce waste.

Home to 11,000 people across several villages it’s hoped the transformation will attract 2.5 million tourists by 2026 and the Government will provide some financial support to help make that happen.

The Hrazdan River in Armenia.

MVRDV says the first step towards the revamp is to embrace the history of the area: the mosaic of 10,000 existing plots will be preserved and reinforced, and the water system in the dry region will be improved by lining the boundaries between the plots with canals, public paths and greenery. On each plot, different species will be plant to make the landscape more visually attractive and to stimulate economic diversity. 

Water management will be improved with the restoration and enlargement of the route of the Hrazdan River, in combination with a new canal system, an important part of the vision, the firm said. Water reservoirs in the surrounding mountains and other water sources will be used to irrigate farmland.

Twelve thousand new housing units will be developed, with some buildings from the Soviet era converted.

MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas says Yuri Gagarin saw the planet’s vulnerability when he orbited the earth. “He saw a house in need of extra care, as many other astronauts have since stressed. I share that concern: stimulating biodiversity, improving water management and the ecosystem is of great importance for the future of the Gagarin Valley and the world. 

“The valley can be seen as a series of test fields for the 10,000 species that will soon flourish there, an enrichment that will give the area the appearance of a garden of Eden.”

The Agro Centre. The project was commissioned by the armenian non-profit organisation DAR foundation for regional development and competitiveness

A market hall, a commercial centre, a centre for the arts, and a sunken stadium for 4,500 visitors are included in the plan. The heart of the valley will be formed by an educational agricultural centre, around which the highest density can be found, with houses stacked to form vertical villages.

“We designed a sphere that acts as a mini-planet, where the classrooms surround a spherical void and where all the species of the valley and beyond and shown and monitored,” says Maas. “The sphere will be surrounded by a central park that contains all the species - a scientific arboretum, reflected in the mirroring sphere. Gagarin would have loved it, I think.”