Cummings Foundation Grant Recipient

Our Designer's Vision

Brick by Brick: Preserving the Armenian Diaspora: NAASR Vartan Gregorian Armenian Center, Belmont, Massachusetts

The SMMA  design of the new headquarters treats Armenian culture not as static or fixed, but as a foundation for growth and interpretation. Designers took traditional aspects of the culture—crafts, language, religious architecture—and reinterpreted them through a modern use of steel and glass, stone and wood, and ornament and pattern. The result is a building that captures the forward-looking intent of NAASR’s mission, speaking to the community’s ability to adapt as well as preserve. Take the interactive building features tour here.