'Play for real' is about the TID tower in Albania but, beyond the built result, 51N4E wish to showcase the project from a number of alternative perspectives. As an invitation to reshape frontlines; the power of relying upon processes rather than procedures; the importance of journeys over destinations; the need for sensitivity towards cities and identities; an invitation to ‘play for real’ and, in so doing, to move in partnership towards an unknown future.
Belgian architects Freek Persyn and Johan Anrys of 51N4E write:
Without any firm commitments, we started to travel back and forth between Brussels –the administrative capital of Europe, where all positions have been settled – to Tirana, Albania – a country notoriously outside of Europe, where positions are still in flux. Our reason was the largest architectural project ever commissioned in the capital city. We moved from one difficult situation to another. At home, strict regulations and procedures limit chances for creative collaborations. In Albania, it was the opposite: the rules are so unclear, implemented so haphazardly, and often avoided altogether. But to our surprise, this improbable situation unleashed unexpected possibilities.
An architecture that is open to any future programme evolved out of this encounter. Within the permeability of boundaries, a new form of dialogue was invented, one that responded to evolving ambitions and was based upon a gradual acquisition of knowledge. The lack of a predefined set of rules forced us to learn in partnership, and to challenge expertise and local capabilities in real-time. A relationship of trust was forged, out of which a shared dream was built; in the place where one would least expect it, we co‐created an unlikely icon.
Collaborators: Paul Steinbrück, Gerlinde Verhaeghe, Galaad Van Daele
Film: Bertrand Lafontaine, Falma Fshazi, Kris Vandevoorde
Photography: Stefano Graziani