{"id":993864,"date":"2026-05-30T07:02:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T07:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/993864\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T07:02:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T07:02:32","slug":"fragmented-timber-volumes-compose-forested-mountain-housing-by-arup-in-albania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/993864\/","title":{"rendered":"fragmented timber volumes compose forested mountain housing by arup in albania"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arup Adapts Residential Massing to Albania\u2019s Mountainscape<\/p>\n

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Set on the Dajti plateau above Tirana, Albania<\/a><\/strong>, Dajti Village by Arup<\/a><\/strong> proposes a residential<\/a><\/strong> ensemble that embeds itself gently into a steep, forested landscape. Positioned between dense woodland, existing hospitality programs, and surrounding infrastructure, the project responds to the site\u2019s dramatic topography through a fragmented spatial strategy that follows the natural contours of the slope rather than imposing a rigid order.<\/p>\n

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The development is composed of two primary buildings, accommodating apartments and an aparthotel<\/a><\/strong> program. Rather than being perceived as large monolithic blocks, the volumes are carefully articulated through the design of facades<\/a><\/strong> and roofscapes<\/a><\/strong>, breaking down their overall mass into smaller perceived units. This strategy gives the buildings a more human scale despite their overall dimension, allowing them to sit more comfortably within the forested landscape while maintaining architectural clarity.<\/p>\n

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all images courtesy of Arup Architecture Madrid<\/a><\/p>\n

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Pitched Roofs and Timber Facades Shape Dajti Village by Arup<\/p>\n

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At the heart of the project, a central platform links the two main buildings while also acting as the primary communal space. This elevated plane organizes circulation and gathering, creating a continuous public ground between programs. Beneath it, the design accommodates a partially embedded parking level, allowing the infrastructure to be absorbed into the topography and reducing its visual impact on the landscape above.<\/p>\n

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A lightweight timber envelope is layered over a more robust concrete structure, creating a dual system that combines permanence with warmth and tactility. Deep balconies and verandas extend each dwelling outward, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior and framing continuous visual connections to the surrounding forest and distant mountain views.<\/p>\n

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With pitched roofs and a restrained material palette, the project by Arup Architecture Group<\/a><\/strong> develops a geometric language inspired by the logic of traditional mountain villages rather than alpine architecture per se. The composition reflects the way vernacular settlements are formed through clustered, incremental volumes, adapted to terrain, scale, and proximity, resulting in a contemporary interpretation of mountain-built typologies embedded within the forested landscape. Dajti Village is set to be presented publicly at the Bread & Heart Festival on June 3rd, 2026.<\/p>\n

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pitched roofs reinterpret the geometry of vernacular mountain villages<\/p>\n

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timber-clad volumes step gently across the forested Dajti plateau<\/p>\n

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deep verandas frame panoramic views toward the surrounding woodland<\/p>\n

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fragmented rooflines follow the contours of the Albanian mountainside<\/p>\n

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forest views extend through deep balcony openings<\/p>\n

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terraced volumes reduce the perceived scale of the development<\/p>\n

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timber facades introduce texture and rhythm across the sloping site<\/p>\n

\"fragmented
verandas blur the boundary between interior space and mountain landscape<\/p>\n

\"fragmented
the concrete base is partially absorbed into the hillside terrain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arup Adapts Residential Massing to Albania\u2019s Mountainscape \u00a0 Set on the Dajti plateau above Tirana, Albania, Dajti Village…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":993865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3939],"tags":[55506,4021,4020,29240,4022,77,17022,18719,16,15],"class_list":["post-993864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-architecture-in-albania","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-arup","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","tag-rooftop-architecture-and-design","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116662249632683895","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/993864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=993864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/993864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/993865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=993864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=993864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=993864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}