* 15.04.1912 Ghaniri, Khoni district, Georgia

15.10.1997 Tbilisi

Civil Engineer

After graduating from high school, Davit Kajaia began his studies at the faculty of Hydraulic Engineering of the Transcaucasian Hydromelioration Institute in Tbilisi. A year later he transferred to the same faculty of the Georgian Polytechnic Institute, and from the third year he continued his studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, graduating in 1936 with a degree in civil engineering. In the same year, Kajaia was sent to work in Chkhorotsku district, from where he moved to Tbilisi “SaqSakhProekti“.

Before the World War II, Davit Kajaia worked for the “AcharProekti” in Batumi, of which he was appointed head in 1941. Later he changed as a Senior Engineer at “SaqShakhtProekti“. In 1953 he received his PhD degree from the Institute of Structural Mechanics and Seismic Performance on “A New Type of Retaining Wall”. From 1955 he worked as a chief constructor in “SaqHidroEnergoMsheni“, and from 1956 – in “TbilQalaqProekti“.

Since 1966, Davit Kajaia has been the Head of the Department of Engineering and Technical Disciplines of the Faculty of Architecture of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. In 1976 he was awarded the title of professor. David Kajaia was a doctor of technical sciences, the author of many inventions, scientific papers and textbooks.

David Kajaia was a Honoured Engineer of Georgia (1961) and Honoured Inventor of Georgia (1962). He received an Award in the All-Union Competition “Structural solution for a load-bearing framing and a roofing construction for an universal sports arena” (1970); an Award of the Council of Ministers of the USSR for the project “Hotel Iveria” (1972) and Diploma of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR for the project “Hotel” Adjara (1980).

Info: Tamar Kajaia
Fotos: Davit Kajaia private Archive

Main projects

– Three-span bridge over the Machakhela river, Adjara 1943

– Multiple-span bridge (length-400 m) on the Chorokhi river, Adjara 1944

– Gumat 1 and 2, hydro-electric power plant building, bridge and reservoirs, Rioni cascade, 1955

– Retaining wall (prefabricated-monolithic. Height-28m.) Elbakidze descent, Tbilisi 1958

– Bath N°8, dome construction. Resort Tskaltubo 1959

– Basketball hall, dome construction. Vera (former Kirov) Park, Tbilisi 1959

– Figure skating school, dome construction. Tbilisi 1962

– Tbilisi Sports Palace, Tbilisi 1961. (Architects: Vladimer Aleksi-Meskhishvili, Yuri Kasradze. Civil Engeneer: Davit Kajaia)

– New building for Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Tbilisi 1965. (Architects: Mikheil Chkhikvadze, Longinoz Sumbadze, Valerian Kedia. Civil Engeneer: Davit Kajaia)

– Fifteen large-volume reinforced concrete reservoirs, Tbilisi, Rustavi, Gardabani 1964-1975

– Roofing of three halls of Tbilisi Radio Broadcasting and Television centre, Tbilisi 1966. (Architect: Archil Kurdiani. Civil Engeneer: Davit Kajaia)

– Shell constructions for underground stations: Vagzlis Moedani, Marjanishvili, Rustaveli, Tavsiuplebis Moedani. Tbilisi 1966

– Hotel “Iveria” (now “Radisson-Iveria”), Tbilisi 1969 (Architects: Otar Kalandarishvili, Ia Tskhomelidze. Engeneer: Davit Kajaia)

 – Hotel “Adjara”, Tbilisi 1975. (Architect: Mikheil Melia. Civil Engeneer: Davit Kajaia)

– Circus Building dome construction, Krasnoyarsk, Russia 1970

– Dolphinarium Reservoirs, Batumi 1974

– 16-storey sanatorium type buildings in Borjomi, Georgia and sanatorium “Armenia” in Kirovakan (currently: Vanadzor), Armenia. Both in 1980

– Prefabricated and monolithic constructions for supporting foundations of power transmission towers. 1983-1984

Inventions, USSR patents and copyrights:

– Retaining wall, 1950 (N° SU85242A1)

– Reinforced concrete trapezoidal plate for prefabricated shell coatings of buildings and structures, 1961 (N° SU147309A1)

– The method of installation of prefabricated single-layer shells coatings of buildings and structures, 1961 (N° SU145324A1)

– Reservoir, 1966 (N° 187281)

– D. Kajaia Modular framing of buildings and structures, 1989 (N° 1518464)

Short list of publications

– Kajaia D. New type of retaining wall. The Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR press. 1950 (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Reinforced concrete membrane for roofing rectangular spaces. The Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR press. 1950 (Rus)

– Kajaia D. Georgian prefabricated shell structures. Newspaper “Строительная газета” N° 3735, 29.04.1960 (Rus)

– Kajaia D. Engineering of the modern era. Newspaper “Komunisti” N° 52/1960, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Reinforced concrete membrane mounted without auxiliary support structure. Jur. “Installation and specialized work in construction”, N° 7/1960, Moscow (Rus)

– Kajaia D. Economical construction of reinforced concrete retaining walls. Jur. “Beton i Gelezobeton”, N ° 9/1960 Moscow (Rus), Magazine “Inzynieria i Budownictwo”, 1960 (Polish), Magazine “Beton arme”, N° 40/1962 (French)

– Kajaia D., Titimov R.K. Metal frame assemblies. Jur. “Installation and specialized work in construction”, N° 11, Moscow, 1961 (Rus)

– Kajaia D., Reinforcing concrete roofing assembly of Tbilisi Sports Palace. Jur. “Строительство и архитектура”, Kiev, 1962 (Rus)

– Kajaia D., Kasradze I. Thin-walled assembly construction. Jur. “Архитектура СССР”, N° 7/1962 Moscow, (Rus)

– Kajaia D., Titimov R.K. Reinforced concrete reservoirs, capacity 10 000 m3, for petroleum products. Jur. Энергетическое етроительство “, N° 42/1962, Moscow-Leningrad, (Rus)

– Kajaia D., Gabrilava N. Construction of Tbilisi Radio and Television House “Архитектура СССР”, N° 2/1965 Moscow, (Rus)

– Kajaia D. The frame of multi-storey buildings is made of reinforced concrete elements. Magazine “Бетон и Железобетон”, N° 3/1968 (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Thoughts on future housing. Magazine “Mecniereba da Technika”, N° 1/1977, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. The Domes as the best solution in the art of construction. Magazine “Sabchota Khelovneba”, N° 9/1978, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Chipashvili V.V. Bionics and construction. Magazine. “Mecniereba da Technika”, N° 12/1979, Tbilisi

– Kajaia D. Chipashvili V.V. How to raise an architect. Newsp. “Komunisti” 06.03.1979, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D Building of the future. Magazine “Sabchota Khelovneba “, N° 10/1980, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Chipashvili V.V. Nature and construction. “Tsodna”, 1980, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. For the issue of reconstruction of the Sports Palace. Magazine “Mecniereba da Technika”, N° 5/1981, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Training-methodical manuals: 1. Calculation of space forms 2. Retaining wall (1982) (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Apartments on balconies. Magazine “Mecniereba da Technika”, N° 2/1983, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Buildings of the future. Magazine “Mecniereba da Technika”, N° 3/1983, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D. Calculation and construction of domes. Tbilisi State Academy of Arts Press, N ° 3/1983, Tbilisi (Geo)

– Kajaia D.I. Some types of seismic structures. Magazine “Mecniereba da Technika”, N ° 3/1984, Tbilisi (Geo)

Literature/Links

Catalog of recommended types of simple constructions for common buildings with larger springs, Stroizdat, Leningrad, 1977

Gurgenidze, K., Ninoshvili D. Confession on the subject. Architecture and construction, Newsp. “Tbilisi”, 13.08.1996