The Kiosk project was developed in response to the removal of informal structures in Dhermi, a fast-growing tourist village on Albania's coast. With tourism rising, the need for organized, adaptable infrastructure became pressing.

The design focuses on sun protection, upper-level storage, and layout flexibility for various vendors. Modular and affordable, the kiosk is easy to build, dismantle, and relocate using local, climate-appropriate materials. Its defining feature; a tapered, canopy-box roof, opens for shade by day and closes for secure overnight storage. This dynamic element allows smooth transitions between active use and closure, aligning with daily commercial rhythms.

The open ground level supports multiple configurations, while design investment is concentrated in the expressive roof. Quick to assemble and season-ready, the kiosk offers a cost-effective, climate-responsive solution for small businesses.

The Kiosk was one of the pavilions displayed at the first editoin of Bread&Heat Festival, which took place in Tirana, Albania, in June 2025.

The transformation of Trnavské Mýto into a dynamic cultural and urban hub is entering its next phase. With the building permit secured, Istropolis—designed by CITYFÖRSTER and KCAP in collaboration with Immocap—will break ground in summer 2025.

The project will introduce a state-of-the-art concert and congress hall, modern residences, and high-quality office spaces. The 3,000-person venue will host diverse cultural and business events, featuring in-the-round seating and multi-event flexibility. Offices will include a grand atria and flexible workspaces, while the residences will be nestled within green courtyards and pedestrian-friendly streets.

Istropolis sets new standards in sustainable urban development, integrating passive climate solutions, energy-efficient design, and biodiverse public spaces with 147 trees, 70 local plant species, and dedicated cycling infrastructure. Long overlooked despite its central location, Trnavské Mýto will soon be revitalized with green promenades, fountains, and a lively public square, supporting markets, gatherings, and everyday life.

With construction set to begin, Istropolis moves from vision to reality, shaping the future of Bratislava through architecture, sustainability, and vibrant public life.

The project has the aim of improving urban infrastructure and increasing the value of tourism assets. The city of Saranda is strategically located on the Albanian Riviera, overlooking the Ionian Sea. With its natural harbour and stunning coastal scenery, Saranda has become a central hub for tourism and maritime activities in the region.

The underwater heritage in the south of Albania is considered by National Geographic a top 10 site for underwater archaeology. Despite this recognition, there is currently no direct activity associated with it. The establishment of the Underwater Heritage Centre not only enriches the tourism offer, but also revitalises the city's cultural heritage by repurposing the former maternity building.

The proposed multifunctional programme integrates educational, commercial and entertainment activities to stimulate underwater tourism and connect it to the local economy and business opportunities.

The old maternity hospital dates from the 1940s, the period of the Italo-greek wars. It shows unique architectural qualities, but remains hidden in the urban fabric. To integrate the building in the city, the entrance area is redesigned as an active urban space, and commercial functions are placed in the plinth.

In the new roof pavilion, the building houses a new culinary venue for fine dining but also public evening events. The new rooftop restaurant establishes spectacular views over Saranda and it's coastline, while at the same time upgrading the old heritage building into a new landmark in the city.

The design is based on the historical elements of Münster's cultural landscape and incorporates them into the spatial concept. Starting from the waterway, a carefully configured open space framework of landscape and park areas with site-specific focal points and functions structures the space and forms the basis for an attractive and future-proof model district. A combination of a high mix of uses for revitalization and open-use structures for flexible development
forms the structural backbone of an adaptable and sustainable urban quarter. New ideas of living, sharing and working together will become a living reality here.

The open space concept pursues a careful interlocking of landscape and urban development, in which the natural topography and existing biotope structures are integrated into the urban development. Starting from the waterway, the landscape flows through the entire design area and connects the new buildings with their surroundings. This creates a harmonious interplay between open cultural landscape, urban life and natural design. The focus here is on the use of rainwater, which is integrated into the open spaces not only functionally but also in terms of design.
The mobility concept is based on the promotion of eco-mobility with a clear focus on public transport, cycling and walking and thus contributes to reducing emissions, increasing quality of life and climate-resilient development of the
neighborhood.

The overall objective of the assignment is to develop a Tourism Master Plan for the Tourism Development Area (TDA) of Dushanbe and surrounding areas that is seamlessly integrated with plans for national, regional, and urban development, including relevant legal and regulatory requirements, sociocultural and environmental safeguards, financing needs and modalities, and assessment of economic viability of proposed investments along with more detailed pre-feasibility studies on the highest-priority individual projects. To achieve the overall objective, the following specific objectives are established:

1. Conduct a comprehensive Strategic Analysis for tourism development in Dushanbe, including tourism demand and marketing mix fundamentals of tourism clusters, supporting factors and resources for destination competitiveness and sustainability, infrastructure and urban services in tourism clusters, regulatory/planning framework, sociocultural and environmental impacts.

2. Develop a Tourism Master Plan for Dushanbe based on its key success factors as international destination, defining strategic framework, spatial tourism planning, a governance structure for tourism development, high-level development plans in critical components of tourism competitiveness and sustainability, sociocultural and environmental safeguards, and investment plan with the prioritization of the proposed projects.

3. Prepare Concept Papers for the highest priority investment projects, including description, rationale, scope, and expected impacts.

Our design proposal for a pedestrian bridge competition in Meidling, Vienna, transforms the district by combining urban design, nature, and community. The task was to link the new security center development, with 4,000 employees located north of the highway and train tracks, to the tram station in Meidling to the south.

Instead of simply building a linear connection, we envisioned the bridge as a floating public space that reclaims underutilized infrastructure. Spanning roads and railways, the design connects existing parks, creating a cohesive green corridor. At its heart is an elevated public square- a vibrant space featuring green areas, a nature-inspired playground, a sports zone, and a café with views of Vienna.

This „hijacking infrastructure" approach reimagines the site not as a gap to bridge but as an opportunity to enhance engagement, recreation, and ecological richness in the surroundings. The design incorporates native trees, water-permeable surfaces, and rainwater management to improve its environmental footprint. Parks like Theodor-Körner-Park and Kasernenpark are unified under the MeidLine vision, offering complementary activities while enhancing space for greenery and biodiversity.

A participatory development process ensures the local community helps shape the final space, which could host events, markets, and performances. By prioritizing green infrastructure and flexible urban design, the MeidLine not only connects but revitalizes. This project demonstrates how underutilized infrastructure can catalyze social cohesion and environmental restoration, creating a greener, more dynamic future for rapidly growing cities like Vienna.

Renders by: The Big Picture

With its amazing food, its multitude of untouched nature and its rich ancient history Albania deserves a much broader public that comes to visit, than the 'off the beaten track tourist'. International tourism is a sector in constant development: More and more travellers are looking for authentic experiences which enrich them as individuals and also do something good for the country they are visiting.

Sustainable tourism can provide these experiences through unique learning experiences directly tied to a country's people and culture. Having this in mind the Dutch Embassy supported the cooperation of Cityförster with MVO Nederland and partners, to work on an inspiring concept for sustainable tourism in Albania, combining it with agriculture. The goal was to strengthen one destination by a multi-stakeholder approach to create a better place to live and visit. After comprehensive analyses Qeparo, an old village along the coastline of Albania has been chosen as a concrete area and in March 2016 a one-week workshop consisting of field visits, interviews with local entrepreneurs and design and business planning sessions with entrepreneurs on agriculture, hospitality, tourism services, urban planning and product design was organized. It resulted in potential projects, business cases and future scenarios for Qeparo. The project is currently being prepared for follow-up, up-scaling and replication.

You can find the online version of the report here.

The historic port area of the Merwevierhavens (M4H) in Rotterdam will soon begin an extensive redevelopment. Once deeply embedded in the maritime world of the Port of Rotterdam, the area is now transitioning towards new futures. Industry is moving away, and new developments will transform the area towards into a vibrant mixed-use urban district. The planning framework envisions a circular economy, smart mobility and sustainable energy concepts, among other things.

Faced with the prospect of this change, Keilecollectief took the opportunity to ask itself "How do we want to build in the future?" This exhibition is a co-production of answers and further questions. It explores building cultures of the past, present and possible futures. The question is dissected into the themes of architecture, materials, urbanism, and landscape.

The question, "How do we want to build?" or rather, "How do we want to build cities?", inevitably entails the bigger question of "How do we want to live in future cities?" Cityförster's contribution to the answer is twofold. Over a historical-to-speculative timeline of 1900-2050, we worked to analyze the relations between socio-economic trends, spatial policy and iconic societal developments. Through this work it becomes clear that policy is always dictating a certain quality and style of life.

During the 20th century we observed the rise and increasing friction of our economy of growth, and how this resulted in the enormous climate impacts we are experiencing today. On the other hand, our research into four case studies reveals how urban factors such as the urban fabric, density and space ratios all impact our way of life. The study shows that high-density inner-city neighbourhoods are most cost-efficient, while also hinting that these neighbourhoods and their residents may generate lower ecological footprints.

Looking to the future, we propose spatial planning based on "sufficiency"; a rationale of urban design for a lifestyle of enough, instead of surplus. Owning less and sharing more is a key principle for community-based design, and future urban design should consider this at its core. With compact homes, biobased buildings and shared facilities, future cities should enable a sustainable lifestyle for all residents. This rationale, which reduces emissions of buildings, cities and residents, is what we call Carbon-Based Urbanism.

The exhibition was on public display from June 15 until September 15 2024 in Keilepand, Rotterdam, and was accompanied by a supporting programme filled with guided tours, open days, presentations, debate nights, movie screenings and serious games. Through this work, Cityförster contributes to the discourse about building practices in the Netherlands. The exhibition was a co-production with Keilecollectief, Group A/CarbonLab, Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven, De Urbanisten and Studio Adams, and was supported by Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Gemeente Rotterdam, Programmabureau M4H, AIR Rotterdam, Cordeel, Vandersanden, and Dura Vermeer Bouw Heyma.

This project involves a detailed public infrastructure gap analysis and the creation of an action plan for the development of two pilot sites in Georgia: Samshvilde in Kvemo Kartli and Pikalebi in Kakheti. Samshvilde is known for its archaeological and cultural heritage, while Pikalebi is historically significant as Kakheti's gateway.

The plan aims to unlock the tourism potential of these sites, minimize environmental impact, and engage stakeholders and the local community inclusively. It includes budget estimates for the necessary public investments in both locations.

Key project tasks encompass public infrastructure assessment, community engagement, social impact assessment, and stakeholder mapping. The report identifies development challenges and opportunities for both sites, stressing the importance of strategic planning and community involvement.

For Samshvilde, the focus is on improving roads, drinking water, and sewage systems while preserving the village's character and enhancing public spaces. For Pikalebi, the report suggests a dispersed design approach inspired by the „Albergo Diffuso" concept to maintain the area's natural beauty and integrate hotel infrastructure with the environment.

Overall, the action plan seeks to transform Samshvilde and Pikalebi into vibrant, sustainable tourist destinations while protecting their cultural and natural heritage for future generations.

As part of the CEWI-cooperation, Cityförster is developing an implementation concept that shows how the sustainable and careful renovation of real estate can be implemented in the DJH Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.

The mission for DJH Lochen is to be a flagship project for circularity, sustainability and sufficiency. This concept is translated to the offer of the youth hostel, and the architectural design and planning. Following the didactic focus of DJH Baden-Württemberg, the hostel should offer its guests an educational experience for sustainable awareness. This means programs with sustainability themes, active outdoor experiences, and workshops with local resources. These themes are also represented in the architectural concept. The main target groups are school groups, leisure (sports) groups, conference groups, and individual travelers like hikers, cyclists and retreat participants.

The theme of sufficiency has guided the hostel to rethink its offer of rooms: smaller rooms to emphasize the outdoor experience, and the development of a summer house for the peak season. This summer house provides extra guest rooms in the warmer months, making a low-tech building without heating or cooling possible. The summer house transforms the old garage by extending it with a new floor on top. Upon arrival, the summer house is the eyecatcher of the circularity concept.

The main goal of the renovation is to restructure the rooms and meet today's requirements. Because the exterior was renovated in 1982, the focus of the renovation is on the space plan and installations. This means a minimal renovation is sufficient. Where possible, building components are harvested on site or in the region, and repurposed in the summer house and the youth hostel. Where larger quantities of materials are needed, materials based on recycled resources and granulated raw materials are applied, for example recycled rubber, concrete and repurposed wood shingles.

The beautiful location of DJH Lochen next tot the Lochenpass creates an inspiring natural environment in the forest on the hills. The existing outdoor facilities are upgraded, and new functionalities are added to extend the possibilities for outdoor activities. The new multifunctional outdoor spaces contribute to the sustainable outdoor experience of DJH Lochen.