TIRANA, Oct. 1 /ATA-By Maela Marini/ – Danish architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has won an international competition for the “Tirana Fountain Tower” project, a multifunctional building and public-space transformation project in the capital’s Rinia Park.
Presenting the winning design, BIG representatives said the concept was inspired by a cloud, with a three-dimensional structure designed to free up and expand public space rather than occupy or reduce it.
The building would rise about 20 metres above ground, creating more than 1,000 square metres of sheltered public space offering shade and room for various activities, the architects said.
The project also aims to enhance Rinia Park by expanding green areas, supporting biodiversity and introducing systems for water management and conservation.
“It is a liveable infrastructure for the city, not simply a building that nobody enters,” the architects said. They said the aim was to maximise green space and create an integrated ecological and hydrological system.
A key element of the design is the preservation of the existing fountain, with water raised into the surrounding space to create the effect of summer rain. The architects said this would also help improve the park’s microclimate.
The tower would include residential units, hotel facilities, offices and a cultural component accounting for about 10% of the total floor area, creating additional spaces for young people.
BIG said the three-dimensional facade, featuring external balconies, was designed to provide shade, filter sunlight and protect the building from high summer temperatures.
The architects said the aim was for the project to function not simply as a building but as “liveable infrastructure” for the city, combining residential and work spaces with a greener, more open park for the public.
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