TIRANA MUNICIPALITY

2020

Architecture for municipal buildings, city halls and local government administration has been a typology characterized by a fixed severe stance as an extension of the dictate of governmental authority. This architecture resulted in monumental, austere buildings with a heavy appearance and an overall lack of flexibility despite their primary function as a center for public service.

For the design of this concept for a municipal building for Tirana the design team moved away from the accepted typology focusing instead on the geometries afforded to us by the site on a main avenue of the capital city of Albania. We concentrated on generating a dynamic, lithe configuration that not only took into account the interior spaces but the exterior and site perimeter to create a sustainable, zero carbon ecologically sensitive design. The structures generated by our design furthermore expanded usage of the building throughout the day in a 24-hour cycle as a harbinger for future modalities and generational aspiration for public space, nature and outdoor activity. Our design called for an architecture that serves as an administrative center for government but importantly serves the public with multiple outdoor and indoor functions.

We conceived a constellation of functions above and below ground. Including the functions in the basement levels there is a procession of interconnected volumes comprising four distant above ground buildings inclusive of the distinct tower. The lower basement floors are given to social spaces with a separate entrance for the main council meeting space that also includes a multipurpose room and cafeteria with a separate exterior entrance. There is a rich spatial and geometric arrangement that provides a variety of interactions with the local government’s activities but also generates intriguing experiences apart from governmental functions as a space for public gathering.