Enguri Discovery Center

At the end of 2017, Luminec, in collaboration with the architectural firm KOKO architects, designed the lighting for the Enguri Discovery Center.

The project consists of over 40 different objects, the main ones being the upper part of the dam, the lower part of the dam, the dam elevator wall, the tourist center, the engine room, underground tunnels, the parking lot, the RGB tunnel, traffic routes, light traffic paths, emergency lighting, viewing platforms, and attractions.

The total duration of the design phase was just over six months. The estimated completion date for the project is in 2021.

The Enguri Dam is more than just a technical facility. The 272-meter-high and 728-meter-wide concrete arch is a powerful artifact that matches the grandeur of its surroundings and remains memorable to all who have had the opportunity to visit it. Built on the Enguri River in the Caucasus Mountains, the world’s second-largest arch dam is one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of engineering. Construction of the Enguri Dam began in 1961 as part of the Enguri Hydroelectric Power Station to supply electricity to the surrounding part of the Soviet Union, but by the time the dam was completed in 1987, it had become Georgia’s largest industrial project and an object of interest for experts and publications from both the Soviet Union and abroad. Today, the output of the Enguri Hydroelectric Power Station covers nearly half of Georgia’s energy needs.

2015. In 2015, the Georgian Cultural Heritage Agency added the dam to the country’s list of cultural heritage, granting it the status of a national monument. The inclusion of the dam in the cultural heritage list was followed by the Georgian government’s desire to transform the Enguri Dam into a world-class tourist destination that would be interesting and attractive to both domestic and foreign tourists. In the long term, the dam’s visitor center will be Georgia’s first industrial monument, combining a science center and a museum, and serving as a starting point for the development of tourism in the entire region.

2017. In 2017, KOKO architects won the design tender, resulting in a science and visitor center that introduces the history of the dam, its operation, and hydropower more broadly. The heart of the center is the main building, replacing the old dam administration building, which houses a permanent exhibition, a café, and new premises for the dam administration. The science and visitor center itself spans the nearly 157-hectare surroundings of the dam: a cable car, a panoramic elevator, viewing platforms, and many other attractions introduce the story of hydropower and the dam in the open air. After exploring the exhibition, visitors have the opportunity to test themselves in more extreme activities: zip-lining, bungee jumping, and wakeboarding on the dam reservoir. After a long day at the visitor center, it is possible to enjoy views of the Enguri River from the café terrace or add a concert on the floating stage at the foot of the dam to one’s experience. The backdrop for the floating stage, and sometimes the screen for the stage performance, is the large and powerful dam itself.

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KOKO architects
Georgian Journal
Georgian Journal