{"id":63992,"date":"2025-09-14T18:54:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T18:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/63992\/"},"modified":"2025-09-14T18:54:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T18:54:19","slug":"archi-tectonics-is-building-a-trio-of-tapered-towers-in-tirana-albania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/63992\/","title":{"rendered":"archi-tectonics is building a trio of tapered towers in tirana, albania"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>archi-tectonics arrives in albania with festival city<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/archi-tectonics\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Archi-Tectonics<\/strong><\/a> unveils Festival City, a 180,000 square-meter mixed-use masterplan designed for Tirana, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-albania\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Albania<\/strong><\/a>. Conceived within <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/stefano-boeri\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Stefano Boeri<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/architecture\/tirana-2030-stefano-boeri-approved-01-04-2017\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Tirana 2030<\/strong><\/a> vision, the project reimagines urban growth by combining density, ecology, and community life in the residential neighborhood of Laprak\u00eb.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Festival City rethinks the conventional city block by weaving residences, retail, and public amenities into an ecosystem of built and open space. At its core, the plan prioritizes green infrastructure, ensuring that densification enhances rather than erodes the quality of urban life.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1153349 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"archi-tectonics festival albania\" width=\"818\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/archi-tectonics-festival-city-tirana-albania-designboom-02.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>visualizations \u00a9 Archi-Tectonics<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>bringing urban density to tirana<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Located between Tirana\u2019s center and the airport, Laprak\u00eb is a neighborhood positioned for growth. Archi-Tectonics\u2019 design strengthens this context by introducing three residential towers of 26 to 31 stories along the main road, tapering the massing as it approaches the smaller-scale surroundings. This strategy allows the development to connect smoothly with its context, balancing metropolitan scale with neighborhood intimacy.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At ground level, the plan introduces tree-lined boulevards, playgrounds, and plazas that knit the new complex into the existing fabric. \u2018Festival City is designed to integrate rather than impose,\u2019 <strong>notes Winka Dubbeldam, Founding Partner of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archi-tectonics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">studio<\/a>.<\/strong> \u2018We see density as a tool for urban and ecological benefit.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1153348 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"archi-tectonics festival albania\" width=\"818\" height=\"460\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/archi-tectonics-festival-city-tirana-albania-designboom-01.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>Festival City is a 180,000 square-meter mixed-use masterplan in Tirana, Albania<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>returning outdoor space to the community<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By concentrating programming within its towers, the masterplan by Archi-Tectonics makes available a large amount of open space at the ground level. These areas are returned to the community as planted courtyards, gardens, and green terraces that support biodiversity. The project frames these spaces as active commons, with the intent on bringing residents quiet, shaded retreats.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This approach embodies a form of re-wilding within the city, positioning Festival City as a landscape-driven development rather than a purely architectural insertion. The courtyards are designed as microclimates which contribute to cleaner air and cooler conditions during the summer months.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1153350 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"archi-tectonics festival albania\" width=\"818\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/archi-tectonics-festival-city-tirana-albania-designboom-03.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>the development introduces three towers between 26 and 31 stories<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The project also draws on familiar Albanian typologies, where housing is layered above active retail space. In Festival City, commercial programs are embedded throughout the bases of the blocks to ensure an active sidewalk life. Green courtyards connect directly to these uses, bringing residents and visitors into shared civic life.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sustainability is expressed through both spatial and technical strategies. Archi-Tectonics applies \u2018sponge city\u2019 principles \u2014 an urban planning concept for water solutions \u2014 to integrate permeable surfaces, rain gardens, and green roofs which will regulate water and support ecosystems. Facade treatments combine shading fins with pixelated glass and stone, reducing solar gain and improving energy performance.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1153351 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"archi-tectonics festival albania\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/archi-tectonics-festival-city-tirana-albania-designboom-04.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>massing tapers to meet the smaller scale of the Laprak\u00eb neighborhood<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1153352 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"archi-tectonics festival albania\" width=\"818\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/archi-tectonics-festival-city-tirana-albania-designboom-05.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>the design incorporates \u2018sponge city\u2019 principles, green roofs, and permeable surfaces<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"archi-tectonics arrives in albania with festival city \u00a0 Archi-Tectonics unveils Festival City, a 180,000 square-meter mixed-use masterplan designed&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[45290,45291,365,362,363,364,366,18,117,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-63992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-archi-tectonics","9":"tag-architecture-in-albania","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-arts-and-design","12":"tag-artsanddesign","13":"tag-artsdesign","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-eire","16":"tag-entertainment","17":"tag-ie","18":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}