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TUFF Armenia

Abstract

In 1988, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated Gyumri, Armenia, destroying homes and forcing locals to construct makeshift homes, or domiks, out of corrugated steel and other scrap materials. Thirty years later, families are still living in these "temporary" homes. The TUFF Armenia Project is a project focused on providing sustainable and earthquake resistant dwellings for the citizens of Gyumri using tuff, a compacted volcanic ash found abundantly in Armenia. This material is cheap, sturdy, and easily formed into blocks for construction. The project team consists of architects, engineers, and global studies majors dedicated to design earthquake resistant, affordable, and energy efficient structures for the people of Gyumri.

Accomplishments

So far, the team has completed extensive testing and prototyping of tuff blocks. Multiple trips to Gyumri have allowed the team to research and create solutions in an on-site environment. The team has successfully partnered with several NGOs in Armenia to ensure sustainable growth. The Tuff Armenia Project is also now a class that is being offered for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 for 4th year civil engineering students.

TUFF Armenia in the News!

UVA Today 
The Insider Magazine
UVA Today 

Team Leader

Leon Yacoubian - lvy9sf@virginia.edu

Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Urban Planning Minor

Graduated: 2018

Team Members

  • Bethany Gordon

  • Katherine Genurario

  • Timothy Klawa

  • Santiago Roca

  • Lynn Kha

  • Lillie Mayfield

Our mission is to inspire students to be proactive and contextually-aware Engineers who empower communities to attain their basic human needs in a sustainable manner.

Engineers Going Global

P.O. Box 4000314

Charlottesville, VA 22904

egg.atuva@gmail.com

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization’s contracts, acts or omissions.

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