Mediathek

The building located at 2 Tabidze Street in Kutaisi is a designated cultural heritage monument whose architectural and historical value constitutes an important part of the city’s urban memory. As a result of long-term use and inadequate maintenance, the structure has fallen into a severe technical and physical condition, leading to ongoing deterioration and the loss of its functional potential.

The primary objective of the project was the rehabilitation and conservation of the monument, with the maximum possible preservation of its authentic architectural character, while simultaneously integrating a contemporary public function that would ensure the building’s active participation in the cultural life of the city.

The selected function — a small media library — is conceived as a space for contemporary knowledge, information, and social interaction, responding both to the local urban context and to the principles of modern urban development.

Within the scope of the project, the existing structural and architectural elements were conserved and rehabilitated with careful respect for the historical façades, architectural plasticity, and proportions. Throughout the intervention process, the rhythm of the façades, the system of openings, and the compositional symmetry were preserved, as these elements constitute the primary determinants of the monument’s authenticity.

A new architectural volume was added to the existing structure, designed according to contemporary, restrained, and background architectural principles. The relationship between the historical and new layers is clearly legible, ensuring a distinction between different temporal strata and avoiding any imitation of historical architecture. The added volume is carefully scaled and proportioned in relation to the existing building and does not compromise its spatial, visual, or compositional integrity.

The project is grounded in contemporary approaches to cultural heritage preservation, where conservation and adaptive reuse are understood as a continuous and deliberate process that integrates the protection of historical values with the necessity of contemporary architectural intervention.