also known as TbilKalakProekti

location: 41.71062868289294, 44.79827204148243

architects: Davit Morbedadze

date: 1985

Bureau MARKA thanks Alexander Ivanov for providing the photographs of the TbilKalakProekti building – by the time we began working on the coloring book, the characteristic arches had already been demolished, and now the building itself is almost entirely gone. We also take this opportunity to recommend Alexander’s architecture blog, which covers Georgian modernism and beyond.

In the 1980s, the area around Marjanishvili Square, a quarter near the section of Marjanishvili Street between the bridge and the square, was reconstructed under the guidance of *TbilKalakProjekti.*This organization, whose name can be translated as Tbilisi City Project, was the State Design Institute founded in 1933 and was responsible for various urban planning, architectural, and engineering projects in Tbilisi. The reconstruction of the quarter was only partially completed due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but between 1982 and 1985, the building for TbilKalakProjekti itself was completed near Marjanishvili Metro Station.

This 13-story building marks a transition between modernism and postmodernism, with its distinguishing feature being the array of delicate concrete arches affixed to its facade. These arches, arranged above each main window, give the building a patterned, almost weightless appearance, while also serving a functional purpose as sunbreakers. Smaller half-arches are placed above side windows, completing the pattern across each floor. In total, there are 130 full arches and 26 half-arches on the facade. The upper section of the building is adorned with jagged battlements, lending it a fortress-like appearance, as if shielding the architects and engineers from Tbilisi’s intense sunlight.

The institute itself, however, only operated in the building for a short time before ceasing to function as a state organization in the 1990s. Since then, the space has been used for various offices. In 2023, a redevelopment project began to transform the building into a 15-story hotel. By the end of February 2025, the iconic concrete arches have been removed, and the entire building is nearly demolished.

text by Elena Lisitsyna

photos by Alexander Ivanov and Elena Lisitsyna