EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science, Project Update

10 March 2026

Construction on the EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science in Yerevan has officially started, marking a significant milestone on a project that will provide a bold new home for technology, applied science and an engineering education hub, connecting higher education with industry.

On February 24th, Artiom Cybulko, Associate and Project Manager on the project, joined representatives from the Armenian government, EU state, technology industry and the wider project team, attended a ceremony in Armenia to celebrate this milestone.

Situated above the Hrazdan River Gorge, the 120m long, five storey building features two cantilevers up to 16.5m long providing inspiring views of the valley below. Its flexible, multifunctional design will allow the building to adapt to future educational and research needs.

Eckersley O’Callaghan is providing structural engineering services for the project, having developed the concept design and now supporting delivery alongside MVRDV and the client, TUMO. The reinforced concrete (RC) superstructure is formed as a rectangular tube, with the cantilevered ends supported by large RC Vierendeel frames that create column free, high ceilinged event spaces. The RC frame continues down to form a partially excavated basement box supported on a deep RC raft foundation.

Given Armenia’s high seismicity, the design of the 16.5m long span cantilevers and Vierendeel frames required particular attention to ensure robust performance under extreme events. Lateral stability is achieved through the interaction of the main RC frame with strategically placed shear core walls, which tie into the ground floor and roof slab diaphragms. Our engineering team worked hard to balance the bold architectural vision with the local availability and cost of structural materials, ensuring the scheme is economically viable while achieving the high-performance criteria. To further optimise the use of material, voided slab construction has been introduced to reduce total concrete volume and foundation loads.