Located at the head of a major urban axis, the Cafesjian Center for the Arts commands sweeping views
across Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan to the iconic Mount Ararat on the horizon. Lighting design supports the cultural
symbolism of the institution, as a landmark for the emergent modern republican state.
At night, lighting breaks up the rigidity of the Soviet-era staircase that dominates the museum’s façade. Instead of
lighting the monumental stair evenly, a back-and-forth rhythm of lights creates for a dynamic flow of movement up to the
glass tower at the summit. On each platform, black granite sculptures stand out against lit wall surfaces, resulting in
powerful silhouette forms.
Armenia’s identity as the only Christian country in the area is reflected in the museum’s interior lighting strategy.
Instead of a regular grid, lights are arrayed in an abstracted pattern of interlocking crosses, composed to provide the
necessary light levels. Since the glass museum tower sits atop a hill, views of the ceiling – and of the iconic arrangement
of lights – will be prominent from the city below.
