residential architecture of yerevan in the 20th century. identification of the main stages in the development of the planning structure of a dwelling unit

The article discusses some features of planning solutions of apartments in the architecture of Yerevan, which are typical to different periods, since the turn of 19-20th centuries to the present day. Housing is the chief determinant of human activity. In the process of societal development the house is the foundation of a family, and the family, on its turn, is the key to the stable state. Nevertheless, the time influences the residential architecture. Societal progress periodically affects the living environment. Therefore, housing formation process never reaches the stage of completion: it is always in an endless process of development. The above mentioned primarily concerns the evolution of the planning structure of the apartment. In this context, the dynamics of evolution of housing in Yerevan has accelerated in the second half of the 19th century. The centuries-generated space-planning system of apartment begins to develop in accordance with the rapid changes of social, urban planning and life processes of the time (extension of industry, formation of new socio-economic relations, rapid growth of population, acceleration of construction processes). The impetuous transformation of the dwelling structure is reflected in the complex process of evolution - starting from the traditional houses and ending with the apartments in high-rise buildings. The research of the problems of the traditional dwelling structure, its transformation in the first apartment buildings and diverse improvements of apartment planning solutions contributes to the definition of the main development stages of the dwelling units during the last century, which are observed in the article. Identification of the characteristics of each stage and the multilateral evaluation of different qualities of spatial-planning arrangement of apartments allow working out proper solutions for dwelling units in the future.