During an inspiring partnership trip to Albania, the Flanders Architecture Institute, together with its partners and a group of Flemish and Brussels-based architects, acquired a unique insight into recent urban and architectural developments in the country. Some of our leading architects are sitting at the drawing table of tomorrow’s Albania.
The Flanders Architecture Institute visited Albania between 22 and 25 August as part of its network programme. The trip was prompted by the noteworthy presence of Belgian offices such as 51N4E, XDGA and Bureau Bas Smets in the country and the influence they exert on urban development in the cities of Tirana, Vlorë and Himarë. Attracting foreign architects and their expertise is one of the goals of the Atelier Albania project, founded in February 2014 and integrated into the National Planning Office of the Albanian Ministry of Urban Development (AKPT), which provides direct advice to the Albanian government. Atelier Albania’s principal ambition is to formulate a sustainable economic development model for the country. The priority is to activate the potential of the Albanian territory by redesigning it in relation to the natural ecology: a coherent ecosystem with a metabolism consisting, for example, of water, food and energy flows – the main natural resources of the country.
The capital Tirana has seen an enormous increase in construction projects in recent years. With the design of the central Skanderbeg Square, the TID Tower, the Center for Openness and Dialogue and a series of infrastructure works, the Brussels office 51N4E, which has been active in Albania since 2004, has made a significant contribution to the public space in the city. During the visit to Tirana, architects Freek Persyn and Guust Selhorst (51N4E) and landscape architect Jeroen Deseyn (Plant en Houtgoed) gave an extensive tour of Skanderbeg Square. The project, which was shortlisted for the EUMiesAward2019, bears witness to a thorough analysis of both the history and the future potential of the square and the country. The architects also guided us on an explanatory visit to the TID Tower and the Center for Openness and Dialogue, which they realised in collaboration with Doorzon interior architects in Ghent.
As part of the Atelier Albania project, major infrastructure and urban development projects have also been executed on the Albanian coast. One of these is the Waterfront promenade, a large-scale development that was realised along the coastline of Vlorë in 2017 by the Belgian office XDGA. Sofie De Caigny, director of the Flanders Architecture Institute, explained the project and shed light on the processes behind the architecture competition, the realisation and the final delivery.
Himarë is a small coastal town in the south of Albania. Facing the Ionian sea, it is known for its predominantly white beaches. The new coastal terrain created by the landscape architect Bas Smets in 2015 resolutely breaks with the original situation. Smets took us to the site and described how the high wall that had originally separated the beach from the built environment has made way for a low terraced construction. Traffic has been moved to the back of the building blocks, creating a direct connection between the beach and the terraces. A series of low pine trees provides shade during the hot summer days.
