• ANA Residences

    The residential complex AnA is situated close to the Student Village of Tirana University on a magnificent hillside. The oddly-shaped site starts with a narrow edge along the street and widens sloping down 15 meters of level difference. The building folds as a continuous figure, respecting all the necessary distances to the property line and on itself. This stepped form creates a local landmark with an identifiable skyline in a very heterogeneous context.

    The site opens itself to allow a pedestrian connection between the student village and the northern areas. This passage enlivens the commercial ground floor and the compound piazettas. The cuts in building volume are a response to the urban regulations and a way to break down the overall massing into pieces more related to the human scale. The same 'cut' approach is used in order to provide light and natural ventilation for circulation spaces. The attic floor has setbacks in strategic locations of the building for best views from the terraces for the exquisite apartments. The materialization aims for an elegant appearance with differentiated materials and patterns but an overall clean white look: the plinth is of fair-faced concrete with a diamond-shaped relief, the body from white plaster, crowned by an attic floor clad in beveled tiles for a shimmering reflection of the strong Albanian sun.

    completed
    2013
    41.321,19.851
    1000 Tirana
    Albania
  • House 1

    House 1 is the first built project of the masterplan 'mirror twins'. On top of a shared commercial ground floor a green link connects the site with the close-by park. The two seperate buildings connected by the common plinth are generating an enormous amount of requested square meters. Rather massive volumes are perforated by a series of programmatic voids that connect to a common circulation space, an inner void. The much needed public space is integrated into the building by creating a second entry level and reinterpreting the circulation space. The engraving appearance
    of House 1 refers to the typical salient facades of Tirana. Multiple tilted strips create a rich play of light and shadow.

    completed
    2009
    Rruga Jordan Misja 20
    8303 Tirana
    Albania
  • Park City

    The project is located on the western outskirts of Tirana, an area which has seen major development in recent years due to its prime location close to the main entrance corridor to Albania's capital. With a total of approx. 400.000 m2 built floor area the new district will house approximately 7.000 inhabitants. It stretches between two large parks, whose conceptual design also formed part of the competition brief. Runway Park is a 1,1 km long former landing strip and Lana Park is an extension of the city's main green axis. The design proposes an urban layout that forms a hinge between these two parks, making them accessible, as well as connecting them, whilst strengthening the distinctively different character of both. The urban structure reflects a combination of three typologies: 4 storey stripes, 12 storey towers and 8 storey 'urban rocks'. The aim is to offer a broad variation of lifestyles, as opposed to the prevalent development paradigm of 9 storey broken perimeter blocks in Tirana.

    completed
    2009
    rruga Abedin Rexha nr 167, Tirana 1033, Albania
    1000 Tirana
    Albania
  • CLG Training Institute

    A very special project in our portfolio is the Chalimbana Local Government (CLG) Training Institute in Chalimbana, Zambia as it can be seen as a good example of a passive and self-sufficient city. The aim of the masterplan was to increase the quality of life of both students and academic staff of the Institute, to structure the campus for the long term, and to provide the grounds with a clear, recognizable identity.

Low-tech in construction but high-tech in designing, we created a plan that included everything needed for an autarchic project. In a very sustainable manner, we used the excavated soil to press it into bricks contributing to the buildings being passively cooled and heated. To achieve that we mainly used the sun energy. From a special angle and material of the roofs to the orientation of all buildings to strictly East-West, with the main facades (North & South) avoiding the low angles of the sun, CLG Training Institute became an eco-friendly vision made into reality. Also, we made sure that the rainwater and the cleaned sewage can drain into the groundwater locally, granting a precise water cycle.

    The existing road provides access to the campus by car. Simultaneously, a new main route for pedestrian connections is established as the new 'heart' of the campus. It runs between the mostly residential area on the North and the educational program on the South side of the grounds. These two clusters - housing and education - at the two opposite ends of the campus are surrounded by the lecturers' houses, and by leisure activities. By closing off some of the student housing blocks, small neighbourhoods are created, with inner gardens and courtyards providing atmospheric living quarters.

    completed
    2021
    Lusaka
    10101 Chalimbana
    Zambia
  • Perspectives Gütersloh

    Over the past decade, many gaps in building blocks have been closed in the city of Gütersloh. Various areas have been upgraded or restructured. With the integrated action plan, not only the urban design of the city will be further sharpened. With the participation of diverse actors, new prospects for the long-term development of the city are presented.

    Strategic decisions are prepared to make the city centre adaptable for changing spatial requirements in the future. The integrated action plan defines key objectives for development. Conceptual and design requirements are defined for e.g. functional mix, open space planning, or traffic issues. These recommendations are implemented and spatially located in a strategic master plan. On this basis, future developments and project proposals can be tested and evaluated and individual measures can be derived.

    completed
    2013
    Berliner Straße 70
    33330 Gütersloh
    Germany
  • Cape Square Durres

    The design of the square strengthens the natural coastline of Albania which can be described as a sequence of capes. Our aim was to turn a necessary element of coastal defence into a public space that strengthened the formerly desolate promenade. The site forms the endpoint of this promenade and is divided into three parts: The park, the square, and the urban cape which acts as a public attraction, free of charge. The Park with the green beds and local trees supports the uniqueness of Durres and is easy to maintain.

    Following the geographical and ecological conditions, 'Cape Square' is seen from far away and invites to climb and play.
    Cape Square has been received extremely well as a real 'European Public Space' playing an important role in the electoral campaign of the incumbent mayor. It has featured in several music videos and countless wedding pictures and has been published and awarded widely. Cape Square is commonly known as 'Sfinksi' (The Sphinx) all over Albania.

    completed
    2015
    Rruga Pavaresia 66, Durrës, Albania
    Durres
    Albania
  • Open Neighbourhoods

    This urban design aims to create an attractive living environment for young families and couples and to give a new impulse to a large social housing estate from the 1960s. The existing open block structure will be maintained but is transformed into a structure with semi-private courtyards.

    Different typologies - i.e. houses with ground-level access, apartments with open floor plans - add variation to the housing supply. Within the building blocks, elevated courtyards create a safe environment for social interaction between inhabitants, especially young families. Notwithstanding their open character, these courtyards offer a clear visual and functional border between public and private spaces.

    Between the blocks, a sequence of car-free squares that draw on the surrounding structure contributes to a lively public space. To keep spaces as car-free as possible, most of the parking is organized in underground garages which are accessible from the edges of the block. By drawing on the existing structure, and by continuing the green belts and the existing rows of trees, the design creates a strong link with its surroundings.

    completed
    2016
    Erich-Klausener-Straße 1
    40789 Monheim am Rhein
    Germany
  • Durres Beach Hotel

    When designing the Durres Beach Hotel in Golem, Albania, CITYFÖRSTER faced the challenge of creating quality within an unpromising context. Golem, a popular beach resort, enjoys a prime location on the sea and is set in a mountainous landscape. However, the village has suffered from uncontrolled development, resulting in a sprawling blanket of buildings. The site for the new hotel is located in the third row from the beach and faces a highway on the other side.

    On the other hand, the site boasts a beautiful forest of mature Mediterranean pine trees and forms an anchor to a potential urban plaza in the south. In order to overcome the challenges, we designed a building rooted in the Modernist tradition, a compact building-block surrounded by greenery. This layout provides the entire building with light, air and space, and secludes the rooms on lower floors from their direct surroundings. An elevated roof garden compensates for the footprint and adds to the overall quality of the new hotel.

    All rooms have highly finished interiors, as well as balconies offering different views – either towards the sea, towards the mountains, or towards the trees. Each balcony is cladded in natural stone from different regions in Albania, which creates a distinct rhythm in the façade. The west façade corresponds to the adjacent buildings, whilst the east façade follows the patterns of trees. The end result is a positive eyecatcher, clearly visible from the highway and the sea.

    completed
    2017
    Shkembi i Kavajes, Rashbull, 2021, Albania
    Golem
    Albania
  • Gardencity 21. Green-urban-connected.

    The fringes of the city hold the promise to live in connection to nature, surrounded by landscape, open space and informal structures. At the same time, areas like these are criticized for their lack of functions, their boredom and their consumption of natural resources. How then – in the spirit of Ebenezer Howard - to create a "green urbanity" which is more diverse, dense, socially mixed and productive while at the same time maintaining the special qualities of the city edge? For the German BBSR, The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development we developed scenarios on How the Garden City can be translated to the 21st Century?

    A viable model can only ensue when spatial principles and specific qualities are brought and thought together with the processes, structures and stakeholders that shape the city. The planning approach for Garden City 21 therefore draws its topics, concepts and strategies from the context. Four sample areas illustrate how built and unbuilt intertwine, how aspects of a Garden City can be developed not only on the fringes of the city and how it can embrace local competences, programs and structures.
    Scenario-based designs and strategic stories are the starting point, and are used to illustrate the qualities of urban and open spaces, so as to be able to discuss them with stakeholders.

    Link to publication: 'Gartenstadt 21', Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung

    completed
    2017
    Am Markt 21, 28195 Bremen, Duitsland
    Bremen
    Germany
  • Dhërmi Waterfront

    The rural south of Albania is gifted with a spectacular coastline, unspoiled natural areas and rich cultural heriatage. Travel is an important driver of the economic development of Albania. However, developments of the past 20 years have been haphazard and do not match the touristic potential of the region. Being part of the Albanian Governments initiative of 'Urban Rebirth', the main objective of this project was the regeneration of the waterfronts of the villages Jalë and Dhërmi. Starting from the outstanding natural beauty of both locations, our aim was to structure and strengthen the coastline and connect it with its surroundings, both physically as well as ideally.

    In Dhermi this included freeing the main promenade from car traffic, providing basic infrastructure such as benches, bins, showers and fountains, but keeping the promenade at a low profile, seeking a continuation with the beach. At the entrance of the promenade an existing structure and a seasonal stream are integrated to form a watersquare, a landmark for the site which will include iconic lettering. A pier serves both for watersports but also as look-out and artificial cliff. The watersquare connects further inland through the 'valley of freshness' and invites for mountaineering and cultural activities.

    completed
    2016
    Rruga Kosova, Vlorë 9400, Albanië
    Himarë
    Albania