Located in Alfortville since the late 1970s, the House of Armenian Culture (MCA) is a vital hub for preserving and sharing Armenian language, dance, and history. As the community and its activities have grown, the original building has become too cramped to accommodate the increasing number of students and events. To address this, a major reconstruction project is underway, envisioning a striking new silver silhouette designed by architect Anne Démians. The revamped center is expected to reopen in 2027, promising a fresh new space for Armenian culture to flourish.
The upcoming building has been designed to be both practical and symbolic, featuring a doubling of its surface area to 1,100m², with much larger spaces dedicated to language courses and dance rehearsals. It also includes a versatile multi-purpose hall, thanks to a structural framework on the ground floor spanning 3 meters, suitable for hosting conferences, heritage-themed exhibitions, film screenings, and larger-scale performances. These are extended by a terrace and garden, offering a touch of greenery and space for relaxation.
From an aesthetic standpoint, the design subtly references Armenian architecture, featuring a sculptural façade, calligraphic motifs reminiscent of the Armenian alphabet, and an entrance hall wrapped in a towering “palimpsest wall” in stamped concrete—an ode to the country's millennia-old history, with time graduação engraved in relief. A six-and-a-half-meter-wide by two-and-a-half-meter-high display case will provide optimal exhibition space for cultural artifacts on each floor.
This project, valued at €4.5 million, is not just a community center but a true cultural hub for the metropolis. It will host a music and dance school, a library, and a documentation center dedicated to Armenia and its diaspora, along with a range of cultural activities organized by the center.
Location
Alfortville
alfortville
94140 Alfortville
Access
RER D station "Maison Alfort - Alfortville".
Official website
www.annedemians.com
