181

ARCHITECTURE

2.12.ARCHITECTURE and Urban Development

The architectural heritage of Albania, so
ancient in origin and so varying in forms over
the centuries, represents an important patrimony
of the Albanian people.
The early stage of architecture is noted
by the prehistoric dwellings (coastal dwelling,
pre 5th century B.C.) discovered in Dunavec be-
longing to the medium neolithic period and in
Maliq belonging to the late neolithic period.
These houses were constructed upon a wood
floor, and rested upon stakes driven vertically
into the ground. The prehistoric dwellings are
classified into three groups: 1-Houses totally
inserted in the ground (in Cakran); 2-Houses half-inserted in the ground Buleuterion (Agonothetes’
temple), Apollonia, 2nd
(in Cakran); 3-Houses, on the ground, with one alcove. century AD

The fortified centres seemed to have an

architectonical unity, both in terms of land location and
in the planimetry solutions. Changing roles from pre-
urban shelters into real urban centres, these fortifica-
tions developed their architectural shapes and solu-
tions as well as construction techniques. These con-
structions represent the beginning of antique fortifica-
tions.
5th Century B.C. Architecture and urban plan-
ing of this period was based on Hellenic achievements,
although linked strongly to Illyrian reality as the cities
of Dyrrachium and Apollonia passed through pros-
perous periods. Apart from these two colonial cities,
there were also a number of towns in Southern Illyria such as Bylis, Antigonea
Amantia, Dimal, Albanopoli, Lisi and so on. These places were con-
structed on the top of the hills and were surrounded by high walls
using construction techniques taking into consid-
eration the form of the blocs (stone bricks), and
the presence of ports and defensive towers with
square and round shapes. These fortifications have
many common elements of defence (towers, en-
trances), which were developed in different ways
depending on location in terms of planimetry,
shapes and land location. The masonry was per-
formed by applying simple stone blocks, carved
and pre-fabricated elements.
The urban planing of the cities differed from
one another in terms of the position of the acropo-
lis, the trade and social centres according to the
topography.
Ancient Walls of Bylis, 3rd
century BC
 182

ARCHITECTURE
Urban planing of these ancient cities shows for an ordered and
modern road network within both the later centres like Antigonea and
the ancient ones like Apollonia and Orikum. This indicates an ad-
vanced town-planing strategy that coincides with the beginnings of
the normative and regular town-planing of the Roman empire.
Although the acropolis in Buthrot
(Butrint) is placed in the middle of the
city, the sloping hillside has created a
different scheme. The centre of the city
was built up in the area between the hill
and the surrounding wall, while in the
northern and eastern parts of the hill-
side, the houses were placed. The main
monuments of the city centre are the
boulevard, the theatre and the temples,
among others.
In some cities like Dyrrah
(Durres) and Aulona (Vlora),the acropo-
lis was built outside the city. This is the
reason many historians and archeolo-
gists refer to the acropolis as “up-town”
and the city, “down-town”. Apollonia
and Antigonea have orthogonal sys-
Bath house system plan Column in Apollonia
tems of roads, based on Hipodam,
layout in Butrint
while Bylis and Dymal have longitudal
systems of roads. In Antigonea, three areas were discovered in which
the main roads cross each other at right angles to make insulas
(parcela) of 50m in length.
The most advanced dwelling from this period was found in
Apollonia. The main area of the house is the open courtyard called
peristil, surrounded by a covered hall. Regarding the interior design,
in contrast to other dwellings of Apollonia and Dyrrah where the floor
is decorated with mosaics, the floor of the advanced dwelling was
done using marble stones or baked clay tiles. In one of the Dyrrah
houses, a well preserved mosaic called “The beauty of Dyrrah” was
discovered. Belonging to
the 4th-3rd century B.C, this
mosaic is among the most
artistic and expressive in
the world and can be seen
today in the National His-
toricy Museum in Tirana.
Social Buildings
are the considered to be
the most important indica-
tors of the level of the ar-
chitecture of antiquity.

Layout plan of
Bylis
 183

ARCHITECTURE
The most ancient temples in Albania are the Artemis in
Apollonia, and the temple of Asklep in Buthrot. Both of these temples
are situated in dominant places, and play an important role in the
urban planning of the city, however, there are other cases where
temples were built outside the cities as well. There are two common
types of temples, the first type with portico and 4-6 columns on the
narrow side and the second type with columns in the front.
The boulevards were important parts of the
urban planning of cities. They are distinguished for
their construction and architectural style and are
had covered galleries with columns alongside the
open gardens to provide gathering spaces for trade
and lectures on rainy or sunny days, as well as
covered walking spaces. The most notable boule-
vards were discovered in Apollonia, Buthrot and
Bylis.
Like the boulevards, the main theatres of this
period were those in Apollonia, Buthrot and Bylis.
They have a common way of building stairs in a
semicircle shape, placed on the steep hillside or
constructively adapted. The difference between them
depended on spectator capacity (size) or the eco-
Odeon in Apollonia
nomic power of the city (elegance). The largest theatre of this time
was the theatre in Apollonia. Archeologists have discovered parts of
stage, fronted with doric columns with triglyphs. The theatre of Butrint
is also very well preserved, with a capacity of 1,500 people and is
well situated between the rock of acropolis and the surrounding wall.
The smallest theatre was discovered in Nikae, and had a capacity of
1,000 people.
During the 3rd-2nd century B.C, sports were
rapidly developed and monumental construction
such as the stadium of Amantia was constructed.
This stadium is typical of the antique period, with
a runway of 184.8m in length and 12.25m in width.
The stadium is well preserved and on one side of
the stadium one can see 17 rows of stairs and 8
rows on the other side, constructed with limestone
blocks.
Plan layout of Baptistry
1st-5th Century A.D. During this period, the architecture con- in Butrint
tinued to preserve the former characteristics, and fortifications were
built using the same construction techniques. After the Roman occu-
pation, many Illyrian cities became colonized like Dyrrah, Buthrot,
Bylis and Shkodra to name a few.
The Roman influence in these cities was limited, because of
the presence of an existing and advanced architecture, whereas con-
struction techniques were developed to a greater degree under their
 184

ARCHITECTURE
influence. The orientation of Roman architecture towards Helenic ar-
chitecture was mostly effected during the period of Augustus (who in
his youth carried out his studies in Apollonia) during the time that he
remained in Rome.
From the beginning of the 6th century, during the period of
Anastas domination, three surrounding walls were constructed in
Dyrrah, as well as a new hipodrom. Many modern engineering works
such as the sewerage system were also perfected. Although two
earthquakes ruined the city, it was quickly rebuilt, due to the fact that
many of the Emperor’s treasures were kept there, and for the high
economic and trading position of the city.
Regarding town planing during this period, the Illyrian cities
preserved their former schemes. In Apollonia, the town planing was
defined by the former Hypodamic orthogonal system of roads. The
changes consisted on new elements that made the centre appear
different, such as new monuments like Odeons, libraries, buleuterions
and so on.
In Buthrot, the road system followed the izoipses and the build-
ings were built in a disordered manner. The buildings (therms and
nymphs) or water deposits, were distributed all over the hill,
overpassing the surrounding wall and offering a coastal character like
Pompeu and Herculaneum.
The Buthrot houses are mostly a peristyle type (columned
with a courtyard), while in Apollonia a house with decorated mosaics
and an atrium was discovered. There is no doubt this house belonged
to the upper class.
The social buildings were the biggest
monuments of this period, and include the
amphitheatre of Dyrrah, constructed in the 2nd cen-
tury A.D. To the west side of the surrounding wall
of the city, with an eclipse shape the amphitheatre
measures 150m in length and 20m in height. It
was built on a slope, with stairs to one side, and
an underground covered galleries reinforced by a
structure of 4m high by 2m of wide.
In the centre of Apollonia there are two very
important monuments. The Odeon (covered the-
atre) and the temple of Agonoteteve or Buleuterion
which was used as a meeting place for the Coun-
cil of the City. In between the this temple and the
Odeon the basements of the Arch of Triumph
Durres
Amphitheatre, 2nd
have been discovered. Libraries were found in Dyrrah and Apollonia,
century A.D. and a gymnasium (secondary school) was found in Buthrot.
Therms are treated with an ordered architectonic and aesthetic
style, decorated with mosaics of a high artistic value. Therms were
 185

ARCHITECTURE
also found in Apollonia., Buthrot and Dyrrah, the latter of which are
distinguished for architectural perfection.
The early buildings of Christian cult.
Becoming an official religion
by the permition of Emperor
Constantine in the 4th century A.D,
churches and religious buildings
started to appear, generally follow-
ing the Roman architectural
schemes of the previous centuries.
The paleochristian architecture of
the 4th-6th century A.D. has the
same values as those found in the
neighbouring countries of Italy and
Greece. This style extended
throughout the vast territory of north
Baptistry of Butrint
and south Illyria.
Roofs with wood carcass, influenced by Roman architectural
links, covered Illyrian basilicas. The biggest in Albania is the basilica
of Butrint, situated in the southeast of the city.
The Baptistry of Butrint is a testimony
to a great value of architecture in the 5th and 6th
century A.D. It’s importance extends beyond
Illyria, and was the biggest building with a cen-
tral planimetry in the whole Mediterranean world.
Having a round shape with a diameter of 13.5m,
the baptistry was paved with multi-coloured geo-
metric and animal mosaic motifs, assuming a
tremendous artistic value. Two rows of granite
tower over the mosaic to support the baptistry
roof. Gjirokastra Aqueduct
7th-15th Century - The Byzantine period
Byzantine architecture in Albania can be
considered as an organic continuation of Illyrian
architecture, effected also by various new fac-
tors of the time.
Situated in the corridor that connected
east with west (Byzantine with Rome), the ter-
ritory of Illyria served as a transit point of archi-
tectural values from west to east and vice-versa.
During the early and middle ages, the architec-
ture is represented in different buildings and
constructions such as houses, fortifications, re-
View of Buna River bridge
ligious and cult buildings and engineering projects. The diversity of “Varosh” from Rozafa
buildings and the high level of construction, shows an advanced me- Castle, Shkoder. Photo by
Marubi
dieval architecture on par with the most developed neighbouring coun-
 186

ARCHITECTURE
tries, indicating a mutual influence. Original architectural solutions in
specific elements are evident throughout.
During the period of the consolidation of
Albanian feudalism, architecture flourished. An
important urban phenomena appeared and de-
veloped known as the birth of “VAROSH”, which
is the dwelling houses situated outside the sur-
rounding walls of the city, causing the birth of
the open city.
From the 13th-14th centuries, because
of powerful Albanian princedoms such as
Petrela, Kruja and Gjirokastra, the fortifications
Berati church, 14th
century were repaired, extended, enlarged, and in some cases even the
“VAROSH” was surrounded by imposing walls.
Important architectural achievements of Christianity also be-
long also to this period. They were developed according to the Byz-
antine way, while retaining some original features, thus distinguish-
ing them from neighbouring countries.
Medieval fortifications were built as feudal residences, castles,
military fortifications, and observation point to name a few. The cities
established in medieval times were created based on the princes
residences and their castles like Petrela, Kruja and Gjirokastra. Other
cities like Shkodra and Kanina had three fortified sections linked to
each other through gates. The sections consist of the outskirts, the
downtown and the castle, which as is usually situated in the domi-
nant part of the city.
The Turkish-Albanian war of the 15th century led to the de-
struction of many fortifications and buildings of high architectural value.
The development of the open city “VAROSH” was quickly halted.

The castle of Tepelena

built by Ali Pasha During this period, new fortifications were built according to the ad-
vanced methods of warfare of the time.The castles of Lezha, Petrela,
Devoll, Butrint and Shkodra belong to this period. Durres city be-
came extremely fortified with walls and towers.
 187

ARCHITECTURE
The architecture of fortifications in the 15th-19th centuries
is seen in the reconstruction of strategic centres such as the castle
of Elbasan, the castle of Preza and the castles of Tepelena and Vlora,
as the most important defenses of the Albanian coastal regions.
Fortifications of the 18th-19th century attest to the domina-
tion of the pashaliks. At the beginning of the 18th century, the castle of
Shkodra was repaired by Bushat pasha and the castle of Berat by
Ahmet Kurt pasha. Among all the pashas, Ali pasha Tepelena, was
distinguished for repairing and building of fortifications. Ali pasha used
foreign architects and engineers for his castles and engineering works
in the castle of Janina, Preveza, Arta and Sul. He built many other
castles including the castles of Porto-Palermo, Berat, Tepelena,
Gjirokastra, Saint Triadhe, Butrint and Libohova. The majority of these
castles are well-preserved, and are distinguished by their construc-
tion technique using carved stones, regular geometric shapes
planimetries, the solid high towers, loop-hole parapets and so on.
Regarding the external architectural treatment, the castles are
built by carved stones through monumental treatment of folding doors
and cogged decoration of the upper parts of towers.
Buildings of the Muslim reli-
gion were originally built using Turk-
ish models, and over time took a some-
what original shape. The mosques are
classified by either types with dome
or by types with roof covered saloon.
The latter were the first examples after
the Turkish occupation, modifying ex-
isting churches in Shkodra, Kruja,
Berat, Elbasan and Kanina. The tech-
nique of construction is very interest-
ing, especially in domes, lintels, graded
arch windows and the way of building
the external walls by bricks and stones.
This did not happen in Turkish mosques, and demonstrates the local The lead mosque in
Shkodra
architectural influence. The sharp pointed arch was substituted at
the end of 18th century by the semi-circle arch, used extensively in
popular architecture and especially in Christian buildings.
The largest and most complex mosque in Albania, is the lead
mosque of Shkodra, built between 1773 and 1774 by Mustafa Bushati
pasha. It’s similar to Istanbul mosques, with a central volume, cov-
ered by roofs in triangular shapes at the corners, the presence of
portico, and the placing of windows in three rows being the main
characteristics of this mosque. The minarets also play an important
role in this ensemble.
The architecture of the Christian religion has inherited many
principles of the former architecture, and from the second part of the
 188

ARCHITECTURE
16th century, simple and small churches
began to appear, contining until the sec-
ond part of the 18th century, when this ac-
tivity peaked. The architecture of the Chris-
tian religion is characterized by the free
interpretation of types and shapes and
show a special individuality of the master
works, and their efforts to find new ways
of architectural expressions.
From the 16th-19th century, many
Christian sanctuaries were built after the
long period of the Turkish occupation. The
first buildings of this period belong to the
second part of 16th century, and were very
small with simple shape planimetry. The
more sophisticated churches emerged in the 18th century, and are
Voskopoje engraving
of 1742 represented by the basilicas of Voskopoja.
The post-Byzantine churches are classified in three types: 1.
With one neff; 2. Cross shape covered with a dome; and 3. Basilicas.
The church of Saint Koll in Voskopoja is a monument of great
value. Pictures, painted by the masters David Selenica, Kostandin
and Athanas Zografi brothers cover its internal walls.
This variety of church has a common horizontal axis to be of
considerable length, even in the presence of the vertical axis. The
decorations are presented in closed volumes with even facades and
very narrow lighting spaces.
Many monasteries belong to this period as
well. These buildings make an architectural en-
semble, placed in very dominating, well defended
and beautiful places. The main building in this en-
semble is the church. These ensembles are char-
acterized by their compactness, where every build-
ing has its function. Important to be mentioned for
the architectural and iconographic values ones are
the monastery of Ardenica and that of Apolonia,
which was constructed within the ancient city ru-
ins.
Urban development of the medieval city
during 15th-19th centuries
Turkish occupation had negative influences
on the development of the Albanian city, which in
Monastery in Apollonia.
spite of the destruction of the Turkish-Albanian war, achieved a con-
Photo by K. T., 2009 siderable level of development. In the 17th century, the Albanian city
grew and prospered. The notes of a traveller of that time, Evlia Celebia,
indicate significantly developed cities like Berat, Gjirokastra, and
 189

ARCHITECTURE
Elbasan. To this point, the Albanian city had created its urban shape
by preserving their main individual features in subsequent centuries.
During the 17th century, markets (the bazaars) were transformed
into proper and authentic exchanging and production centres. High
clock & bell towers completed the markets of these medieval cities.
In the the 18th century, the mosque with
the clock tower, became noticeable as a monu-
mental building among other social buildings like
public baths, madrassahs (schools), and so forth,
to enrich the centre of the city. Every quarter of
the town, had its own small center consisting of a
mosque, steam baths (hamam) and a fountain.
During the 19th century, Albanian cities once
again began to prosper. In most cities, a bazaar
was constructed to be centre of trade and produc-
tion, but the rates of town planning developments
differed from one city to another. Elbasan,
Gjirokastra and Berat preserved in general their
town planing, while the city of Shkodra was en-
larged to the city boundaries of today, to be end
at the castle of Rozafa, which had completely lost
its importance by the middle of 19th century. If the
city of Shkodra was developed without a regular
town planning, Korça was extended according to
a modern urban planing system (orthogonal system of wide streets Tirana centre.
Photo by Marubi
and avenues) coinciding with the boom of trade development there.
The late Albanian city
formed its main urban charac-
teristics in the second part of
17th century, resolving the main
issues of its development and
extensions such as the cen-
tre and the road system,
which is preserved mostly to
this day.
The Albanian medieval
city could be classified as ei-
ther cities linked with castles
and fortifications, placed on steep hillsides like Berat, Gjirokastra,
View of Berat (City
Kruja, or cities established on flat grounds like Tirana, Kavaja and of 1000 windows)
Elbasan.
Cities built within castles are the most ancient and developed.
At the beginning, the city was linked to its fortification, but later the
city is extended to include the“Varosh”, the area outside of the castle.
The sloping and hilly terrain served as a natural defence and
had a great deal of influence in the architectural ensembles, impos-
 190

ARCHITECTURE
ing an obliged orientation to all the houses
to cover the hillside forming compact and
organic buildings. The lack of land and
level ground meant that the houses must
be constructed in rows (as in the
neighbourhood of Mangalem, Berat). In
other cases, the houses are placed in a
free manner like in Gjirokastra. In both
cases, the connection with the land grows
the monumentality. Houses come out di-
rectly in the street, taking part in its ar-
chitectural composition. The steep terrain
has conditioned the house to be vertically
composed and placed in a stair-like man-
ner, consisting of two or three floors. The
cult buildings are totally merged and lost
within this dynamic ensemble of “stair like”
houses, which is the main element in this
architectonical composition.
The cities on the plains have com-
pletely different characteristics. Houses
are rarely spread out, placed in vast land
and surrounded by high walls. The com-
positional monotony breaks down only by
Gjirokastra “stair like” the appearance of cult buildings. They are usually built on level grounds
city ensemble to show dynamic architectural volume effects.
The houses of the upper class were built in suitable places,
usually wide open, full of light and greenness, while the lower class
houses were small, close to one another, and built in narrow places
without enough light. In the most of the big Albanian cities there were
also Muslim, Catholic and Orthodocs parts of the city.
In the fortified cities, the main street began at the main en-
trances to the castles, then spread out across the city by secondary
roads. The perpendicular roads were built
in the forms of stairs. A key role was also
played by the roads that linked the dwell-
ing quarters with the economic and trade
centre.
In flat cities, wide main streets and
roads paved with stones ran continuously,
with other streets linking cities between
them.
The greenness is characteristic of
the medieval city, especially in the steep,
hilly quarters, where the greenness natu-
rally linked the houses to the ground, em-
phasizing its monumental character.
Vila in Korca
 191

ARCHITECTURE
Albanian museum cities of Berat and Gjirokastra (both under
UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection as the finest examples of Ot-
toman Architecture), as well as the historical centers of Elbasan and
Korça, represent the achievements of the medieval urban develop-
ments of the 18th-19th centuries.

The Albanian House

The Albanian house plays an im-
portant role for it’s architectural types and
value well spread all over Albanian territo-
ries in the Balkans. The Albanian house
during the 18th and 19th centuries is distin-
guished for its architectural achievements
both in village and city. The movement of
the National Renaissance together with
the birth of capitalism elevated the archi-
tectural values of Albanian house. City
houses are distinguished from village
houses, especially from the typical North
Albanian village house. Generally the civil
house belongs to one family, but there
are examples of houses for two family
members (i.e. brothers), in this case the
house is built according to a symmetric
axes
The types of Albanian house are
rural and urban.
According to its volume and plani-
metric composition the civil house is clas-
sified in the 4 groups: Albanian house types: A-
rural and B- urban
- Houses with fire place (Tirana house)
- House with porch (hajat)
- Houses with lobby (cardak)
- Civil tower (house of Gjirokastra)

Urban development and Archi-

tecture in the 20 th century
This period starts with the Austrian occupation
during First World War, followed by the Fan Noli demo-
cratic government to the kingdom of King Zog culminat-
ing with the Italian occupation. Albanian cities, with ex-
isting medieval town planning schemes, were subject to
proper town-planning studies carried out by Austrian ar-
chitects, aiming at European urbanisation of Albanian
cities.
Gjirokastra tower house
 192

ARCHITECTURE

First ketch of Tirana In 1920, Tirana was declared the capital of Albania and the
“political sportive” area
closing the main government of Fan Noli decided to establish modern governmental
boulevard and the view of buildings for a European administrative centre. Skanderbeg Square
this area on 2001
was designed, and the surrounding governmental buildings were to
be situated as they are today. The historical North-South Boulevard
is also decided at this time. The main architect of this monumental
Boulevard was the Eshref Frasheri, a minister of the Fan Noli govern-
ment at the time. He was assisted by the architects Chiaravelli of
Italy and Weiss of Austria.
King Zog played an important role in the town planning of the
main cities, pushing the implementation of these plans. In 1930, the
boulevard called “Zog I” and the governmental buildings began to be
built in Tirana. The main roads were widened and the city-limits were
defined. In 1931, Tirana had 600 ha within its borders and the indus-
trial zones as well as residential areas were defined according to a
detailed urban study. The main architect of the town-planning project
of Tirana during this time was the Austrian architect Kohler. Also
during this time, elaborately decorated villas were built in Korca and
elsewhere.
After the Italian occupation in 1939, Italian architects reviewed
all urban projects and studies and designed many of them from ear-
liest stages. The design style was rational, and of the fascist type
(the Augustian fascist complex at the end of “Zog I” Bulevard in Tirana
comprising fascist offices, the stadium and other constructions in
Durres harbour). The most notable Italian architects were involved in
the designs of modern Tirana, like Gherardo Bosio, Ivo Lambertini
and Ferdinando Poggio. They worked also in the designs of the
town-planning projects of Durres, Vlora, Elbasan, Berat, Petrela and
 193

ARCHITECTURE
Saranda. Besides, rational characteristics,
they had also respected the Albanian psy-
chology and tradition in their designs regard-
ing private property. They designed Tirana to
be an extensive city with private villas and
preserved the historic center of the city, in-
cluding the mosque, the clock tower and the
market among other aspects, which remain
as important points of the city.
The town planning of Albanian cities
in 1942 was carried out by Italian architects,
and is considered as the basis for the urban
planing projects after the liberation of the
country.

Tirana first real Urban

Urban & Architecture after WWII Masterplan of 1942 drafted
by Italian Architects
(Communist dictatorship period)
The end of the World War II brought a com-
munist government in Albania. The dictatorial com-
munist system was too centralized and inclined
toward launching urbanistic operations that ignored
private ownership, with architects and town plan-
ners enjoying the “freedom” to “revolutionarize and
transform “easily”.Communist dictatorship held
architects under tight control and condemned
severely every sign of modernism, however small,
and every tendency to freedom in their creative
process that might cause problems to the ideol-
ogy of the regime in power. This situation went on
for long decades until the wind of change began
to blow in Albania.
HOWEVER it is important to note that af-
ter 1944 the urban schemes of the main cities
were preserved. Further more, cities like
Gjirokastra and Berat were declared “museum cit- Prefabricated popular
ies”. flat blocks in Albania
built from 1970 to 1990.
There started the new regulatory plans as that of Tirana drawn
up in 1957. Its basis consisted in a renewed development of the ex-
isting zones and creating new peripheral areas in the form of satel-
lite towns in order to provide the labor force for the new local industry
(mechanical and textile), agricultural enterprises and coal mines chiefly
along the main transport roadway and towards the outskirts of the
city.
 194

ARCHITECTURE
After 1960, rehabilitation projects were geared towards the in-
dustrial and agricultural development of Albania. Major infrastructure
projects were undertaken, such as hydropower plants, irrirrigation
projects, railways, roads, plants, mines and the oil industry began to
be developed.
The new Albanian house became small flats in five to six floor
buildings, built through volunteering work which reflected the poor
conditions of life. The new towns and the new parts of the existing
towns and cities represent the same strict regular urban schemes.
Even the social buildings like schools, hospitals, kindergartens were
a standard design throughout Albania to reduce cost and time.
“The Albanian Cultural revolution
of 1967 damaged numerous architec-
tural values all over the country either
by destroying the cult buildings or by
converting them to cultural houses, cin-
emas, or sport palaces (Shkodra’s
catholic Cathedral).
In spite of the totalitarian cli-
mate, talented Albanian architects
managed to produce few, but monu-
mental buildings like the “Palace of
Congress” and masterpieces like the
“Pyramid”, both linked to the
glorifcation of the dictator Enver Hoxha.
The “Pyramid” built as
museum of Enver Hoxha in
1986 and converted to the In 1985, the National Institute of Urbanistic Studies and Projects
International Cultural launched the drawing up of a new regulatory plan that was adopted
Center in 1991
by government 1989.
Objective I of this plan was
to satisfy the housing needs
by 2005; to define new
spaces for industrial develop-
ment by considering ways of
settling the pollution prob-
lems; and to enlarge and
improve the street network.

Objective II of the regu-

latory plan was to review and
reassess a great part of the
residential area that was
marked as an inappropriate
Tirana Regulatory Plan of settlement area. From 960 ha of the inhabited area, only 460 ha were
1989 still in power in 2010!
considered as properly settled, while the rest of 500 ha was to be the
focus of more detailed reassessment plans, in which the necessary
 195

ARCHITECTURE
space for service facilities was to be found even at the cost of obtain-
ing such space by tearing down existing structures.
Objective III A disturbing problem to be settled by the new
regulatory plan was that of immigration, which would be difficult to
control following 1990.
From 60,000 inhabitants that Tirana counted in 1945, the popu-
lation had increased to 300,000 in 1992. The new plan provided for
the population’s growth to reach 317,000 by 2005. In spite of the
presence of this demographic dynamics, the plan provides for a re-
duction in the residential density from 224 inh./ha in 1988 to 170 inh./
ha in 2005 due to the enlargement of the residential area space.

Urban & Architecture after 1990

Political and economic changes that took place at the begin-
ning of the 1990s were rapid and dramatic and caught architects
unprepared who for years in succession were producing a rigid, stan-
dardized and occasionally even primitive architecture, if some ob-
jects of public importance are excludedYears 1991 to 1993 were the
years of an identity crisis of Albanian architecture, but by the same
token they mark the beginning of a new era for the architecture of
Tirana toward a growing drift to creation of private workshops in Tirana
where architects, but also specialists of other construction fields,
organized themselves in small private project bureaus based on a
very pragmatic practice. The performance of private sector marks a
turning point in architecture, too. In the meantime, many architects
were able to become well acquainted with international architecture
because of their trips abroad.
During 1996, the architect’s profession experienced a sort of
reawakening as many people who invested in the bogus pyramid
schemes began to make investment projects that required architec-
tonic designs and ideas. These projects were often large and exag-
gerated and though in most cases they were never materialized, they
indirectly influenced the employment and the practice of architecture
professionals who finally had a chance to let free their creative skills
what gave architecture in Albania a new impulse, especially in the
main cities’ center, where an investment boom has taken place in
recent years, mainly in multistoried buildings.
After 1990, the transition period brought in many irregularities
in urban planning and in many cases outlaw construction occured,
especially in Tirana, which is the main urban area. With the return to
private property, the Albanian house has diversified its forms and
shapes depending on the terrain, location, occurrence of raw mate-
rial and funds.
Nowhere in Albania has development been so fast and at times
unregulated as in Tirana. This was largely due to the mass regional
migration from the villages into the city, more than quadrupling Tirana’s
 196

ARCHITECTURE
population in less than 20 years. Naturally, this has led to a great
deal of transportation issues, such as bottlenecks, narrow streets,
lack of parking and difficulty for waste management and emergency
services.
In the early 90s, the eagerness after waiting so long for private
business, led to the building of many bars and cafés everywhere. As
a result, many of these businesses were located in the main city
parks, along the Lana River and everywhere else imaginable. From
1997-2004 the municipal government began the campaign “Return to
Identity” by destroying all the illegal buildings in the centre, as well
as a new project called “City of Many Colors” initiated by Mayor Edi
Rama. As a result, the main buildings along the boulevard and the
ring received a “facelift” by being painted with colors of various geo-
metrical forms, slogans and iamges, many of which are prevalent
today. This concept has been widely adopted throughout Albania.
While the current scene remains full of heavy concrete and
brick constructions, quickly built to accommodate the exploding popu-
lation, the future appears drastically different. The country has re-
cently come under the spotlight of international urban development,
often selecting extreme designs that may not be approved in other
European cities. Many of these projects are part of a larger scheme
to modernize the city and develop a distinct downtown core, taking
into account transportation and other essential urban issues, includ-
ing major underground parking lots.
As well, major road construction projects are taking place,
including a four lane highway connecting the mountainous region
between Durres and Kosovo, which features a 5km tunnel, the long-
est in the Balkans.
The Competition for the
Tirana Center urban planning
started at May 2003 with the Call
of opening of international bid on
the occasion of International Con-
ference of ENHR, (European Net-
work for of Housing Research). At
least 35 International Studios ap-
plied- only one of them was Alba-
nian, among them there were well
known studios. There were short-
listed, as selected by an interna-
tional jury,: Architecture Studio
(France), Boles & Wilson (Ger-
Studio design of an many-Australia), and Mecano (Nederland).The Winner was French
approved future Studio Named: Architecture Studio which enjoys a notable interna-
development in Tirana,
2008 tional reputation and has carried out a considerable number of impor-
tant Projects, including the construction of Head Quarters of the Eu-
ropean Parliament.
 197

ARCHITECTURE
The version represented by Architecture Studio have given
full priority to the pedestrians, green areas and water mirrors and has
proposed a complete cancellation of car traffic in some of the key
areas of the City like the “Skanderbeg” Square and “Mother Teresa”
Square. The work for the renovation of Boulevard and Lana River is
combined with the introduction of new elements of urban texture and
architecture finish of construction of side walks and extension of the
green areas. In order to create a new profile for main Boulevard, which
will contemporary be more plastic and aggressive, it has been pro-
posed the creation of two main parallel axes (one by each side) of the
Boulevard. These axes will be constituted by high buildings, up to 25-
30 floors, along both sides of Main Boulevard, with a distance of
about 50-100 meters from each other. The Boulevard will be notably
green at the sides and also will have a green closing area at the end,
near the Train Station, creating a balance with the green zone of
“Rinia” Park. In the same time this closing area defines a boundary
for the vital infrastructure extension area, just at the northern part of
the city, which is the growing area of the city
In the centre of Tirana, soaring over the Hero’s Boulevard
(Deshmoret e Kombit) rise the Twin Towers. Completed in 2004, they
are two 15 story office high-rises, with a modern blue glass exterior.
One block away stands the 16 story European Trade Centre, another
major high-rise office tower with a shopping centre below. It is built of
steel and concrete, with a semi-circle glass exterior
Other projects in Tirana include the
TID Building, designed by a Belgian archi-
tecture firm. It will stand 85m tall at the sym-
bolic centre of old Tirana. At the base of the
north-east corner sits the tomb of Suleman
Pasha, the founder of Tirana. The tower has
been designed to feature a three dimen-
sional, circular cut at the base, serving as
an umbrella overtop of the undisturbed monu-
ment.
Major projects are taking place
throughout the country, such as the Illyria
Square design competition in Durres. The
2008 competition featured 36 domestic and
international studios competing for the redevelopment of the main “Tid” Building by 51N4E
studio, under construc-
square in Durres, and construction will begin in 2009. As well, many tion, Tirana, 2009
large scale commercial and residential centers are springing up
throughout the country, both in city centers and along the highways.
In other cases entire ‘cities’ are being constructed, such as the Gar-
den City between Tirana and Durres. Garden city consists of 31 blocks
of uniquely painted 5 story apartments, in a self-contained environ-
ment with shops, streets, amenities and 24 hour security. Similar
projects exist in Vlora and elsewhere.
 198

ARCHITECTURE
Possibly taking shape from the traditional Albanian Kulla, or
defense tower, a new era of towers is rising fast. These are the ‘Sky
Towers’, and almost every major Albanian city has one, including
Durres, Tirana, Elbasan, Korca and several cities in Albanian Kosovo.
These Sky Towers consist predomi-
nantly of offices and a few small shops,
however the defining feature is a roof-
top cafe, which in some cases also re-
volve. The young construction expert
Arber Hoti claims ‘’The sky tower of-
fers a panoramic 360' view to enjoy over
coffee or a meeting and although the
defensive purpose of the ‘kulla’ is no
longer necessary, from the new towers
one can still witness the ‘concrete sol-
diers’ waging war on the city and the
sky.”

Modern architecture in
Korca, 2008 Authors: Architect Keida Lulo & Kevin Tummers
Bibliography
History of Albanian Architecture Model, Various Authors,
1970
Documents of Central Technical Archives of Tirana, 2000
Emin Riza & Pirro Thomo, Architecture Tradionnelle des
Balkans, 1990