• urban qualification of Drymades waterfront
  • Drymades, Albania
  • Gjikuria sh.p.k
  • around 30.000 sqm, length: 2 km
  • under construction, 2020
  • 2024-DRY
  • masterplan, urban design
  • Isabel Driessen, Kristina Drapic, Enisa Selmanaj
  • Boom Landscape

Drymades Promenade

Strolling in vivid nature!

Located in between the high mountains and the Ionian Sea in the South of Albania, the new 2 km long Drymades promenade wants to emphasize this duality by creating an impression of being immersed in nature and the greenery while having the beach feeling at the same time. By using organic shapes instead of straight lines, we create a green boulevard with different scenarios, points of view and vibes.

The division in different zones helps on creating diversity and reflects the varieties and characteristics the area presents. The promenade aims to be an experience in itself with more quiet and natural zones on the side and a vivid part, the hotspot area, in the middle. Here you can find an underground bar which also serves as an elevated plaza or also a pier on the water with different functions on it. The project is unified by common elements, materials and concepts along the promenade such as stone walls, sand-coloured concrete paving and cut out stone or furniture in corten steel.

One of the key elements of the project is the planting in random dispersion. It serves as shading but also helps at shaping the promenade and giving different scenarios and points of view.

The kiosks, which are always located in the planters, provide the necessary services needed on the promenade. While the fixed bottom part is made of stone walls, the upper part is made from wood and is thought of as a flexible element that can adapt to the different functions and needs. The biggest kiosk serves as a bar and eating place, the smaller ones as newspaper or ice cream shops, and the smallest ones as public toilets and changing rooms. The roof made of corten steel makes the structure a sustainable one. It is slightly elevated from the main structures to allow the air to pass through and cool the structure underneath. It also collects the rainwater and with the proper inclination, brings it to the planter on the back.

  • urban qualification of Drymades waterfront
  • Drymades, Albania
  • Gjikuria sh.p.k
  • around 30.000 sqm, length: 2 km
  • under construction, 2020
  • 2024-DRY
  • masterplan, urban design
  • Isabel Driessen, Kristina Drapic, Enisa Selmanaj
  • Boom Landscape

photography by Alexander Wolf, 2021