Grimshaw Architects recently announced that they have been selected to masterplan a large expansion to Albania’s capital city, Tirana. Grimshaw proposed a robust sequence of public spaces threaded along the boulevard that responded geometrically to existing patterns of land ownership. Tirana is a Mediterranean city with an outdoor culture. Each space or ‘living room’ was presented with a different use and character; a new ‘symphony of squares’. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The Mayor of Tirana called for designs to extend the 1930s boulevard a further 3km and establish a new 7km riverside park, rejuvenating the river Tirana and the city in the process. The project area covers a 14 km², over a quarter the size of the city area, and represents a unique opportunity for a masterplan on this scale in a capital within continental Europe.
