Getting back with the projects , this one here will be finished in December of this year.
It's a trading complex with apartments inside as well.
It's the only photo i have and i have no idea where it is located

http://www.albaniafoto.com/albums/userpics/10001/tirana0151.JPG

Cool!

That project seems to be really interesting, and I hope to see more pictures of it later in the near future. Are there any skyscrapers planned to be started or finished in the following years?

Not as far as i know
The only actual projects are the danish and belgium ones that i posted in the other thread
They will be both 85 meters tall
Also , they are planing a mega project of 3 towers close to Skendebeu Square
This was reported in the morning papers but it's just talk for now

The biggest project at the moment is highway Durres-Kukes which links the nr.1 port in the country with its furthest city in the Northeast bordering Kosovo.
It's going to be a highway between Durres-Kukes-Morine (Kosovo border)
Considering where both cities are located , the highway will look like a diagonal. It is very important project for economic reasons
When tourists from Kosovo come during the summer they have to take different routes to get to Durres but this highway will solve that problem
It can get them there only in 2 hours
300 million euros were invested on this project

According to US State Department , the US Embassy in Tirana is being renovated.
Here you have rendering and construction in the same pic

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/Slide191.jpg

Football Rules - Very nice update. :) I really do like that project.

^ I like the first one. It really suits Tirana's style.

The larger building in the right is the new extension of the Embassy i believe , it looks like it from this pic
The main building looks like it does in the rendering as you can see from the construction pic
I think they will just repaint that one

Ok , so here are the 3 major projects so far that have oficcially been approved.

The danish project in Skenderbeu square

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/danezi1.jpg

Belgian project close to Skenderbeu square

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/belget1.jpg

Dutch project close to International Center of Culture

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/mvrdv_tirana_003.jpg

I believe so far underway is the belgian project which will be built by the same company that built the 2 towers in Bulevardi "Dëshmorët e Kombit"

Excellent. :) Which projects are the largest in Tirana. I'm refering to the ones that are still U/C?

These 3 for the moment
They are planing to built a total of 12 highrises around Skenderbeu Square
So far only 2 have officcially been approved
So in the near future you will see renderings for the remaining projects

Here are 3 major ones:

1) The Opera building
2) National Museum
3) National Bank

When these 3 are completed then you have a modern and complete Skenderbeu Square

Thank you for the update. :)

They believe to be 12 highrises in Skenderbeu Square? That will create an excellent skyline. :)

Thank you for the update. :)

They believe to be 12 highrises in Skenderbeu Square? That will create an excellent skyline. :)

Yes , it looks like it
Although i think they will be built at maximum height of 85 meters
They want to give the city breathing room :runaway:

Another thing i like to add is that these projects are based on architecture , they dont want to built a highrise with glass but a unique architectural building to catch the eye of a foreigner
The belgian one is very unique and will be built with unique material as well
It got high praises from international jury that voted for it

You guys heard they are selling Dajti Hotel today
The price is 16 million dollars according to one of the morning papers
I am interested to see what they will do with it;)

Hotel Dajti was built during World War 2 and had been Tirana's most luxurious hotel for decades.
Many foreign dignitaries resided here during their stay in the country.
The communist elite prefered Dajti as their favorite hotel as well.
It has important significance for the city , it is kinda like a symbol.
Almost in every article you would read about communist Albania foreigners would mention this hotel.

I am interested to see what they will do with it

Turn it down maybe? I hate thit place! The building is not worth a anything but tha location rocks! So I literally hope they turn it down to build a classy thing.

Ain't it just a commie hotel? Infinitely ugy...

http://www.shqiperia.com/foto/gentib/images/HOTEL_DAJTI_jpg.jpg

The location of Hotel Dajti is fantastic.
I am pretty sure whoever buys it will not keep it as a hotel but will do something else with it.
It is pretty much a given the existing building will come down.
I would be shocked if they renovated it instead.

I hope they do...DESTROY IT! I get sick each time I see such a shit hole in such a heavn location!

Just to give people an idea on why the bid for such a shitty hotel is 16 million dollars => Location
It is located opossite side of these 2 towers a bit further down

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/f12.bmp

It is the only garbage building in Tirana's main Boulevard with the exeption of President Palace which is another shithole

The bid failed
Just read it in BalkanWeb
No buyer was interested because government's demands were too much
I really hope they just put this crappy building down and create some unique project , like a business center or something
I would even welcome a modern library :cheers:

Obviously! I think they should try to sell the land and not the building. Attract a good investor with an innvoative vision and bring some good stuff on the table.

What about QTU: Qendra Tregtare Univers (Univers Shopping Center) that is under construction just next to Coca-Cola factory. Afterall it is the first real shopping center being built in the country. The center is planed to open in early September.

The Architects and Project Consultants are Austrian.

http://www.univers-al.com/image/planet/foto2.gif



Construction udates:

http://www.univers-al.com/image/newsimage/foto1.jpg http://www.univers-al.com/image/newsimage/foto2.jpg

http://www.univers-al.com/image/newsimage/foto3.jpg http://www.univers-al.com/image/newsimage/foto4.jpg

http://www.univers-al.com/image/newsimage/foto5.jpg http://www.univers-al.com/image/newsimage/foto6.jpg


Official Website: http://www.univers-al.com/

Great job AltinD

The Mall is located only 8 minutes from Tirana near Coca Coca factory which is an exellent location
The renderings look pretty cool
It provides 600 parking spaces

Wow , check this out.
Free bus transportation to the city every 15 minutes

http://www.univers-al.com/image/autobuzi.gif

The site mentions that construction will finish May 2005 which is now but i guess September as you say would be the Opening Day
They also mention this as being one of the biggest malls in the Balkans with an area of 21.500 square meters

http://www.univers-al.com/image/planet/foto1.gif

http://www.univers-al.com/image/2_Tirana_persp.jpg

http://www.univers-al.com/image/planet/foto2.gif

http://www.univers-al.com/image/kam/kepuc.jpg

http://www.univers-al.com/image/kam/tbardh.jpg

I am somehow related to this project, but I've never been on the site. Most propably will be there on the opening ceremony in September.

So far, September 3rd is fixed as the opening date.

It is a good project, but I hwo come only 18 businesses have contracted a spot in it? None of the important fashion/sports shops of Tirana is getting a spot.
Maybe the shopping center at the Sky Tower is a tough competitor as it does have a lot of marks in and also its location is far better.

I hope it works out well for QTU.

QTU looks really impressive i heard it will get 1 . 5 million customers a year

albtelekom was sold yesterday to turk telecom for 120 million euros www.biznesi.com.al

About AlbTelekom, thats no news. If the opposition gets elected this year then this transaction will be turned down.

to the question of elections who do you want to win

to the question of elections who do you want to win

If there was nay one worth voting Albania would have been a better place. I would go with the Socialist Movement for Integration as that is the tunnel with some light in the end of it.

so you like ilir meta do you think fatos nano has improved the economy or do you think any other parties could change it . personally i like sp because it has transformed albania if you look at the evidence

The site mentions that construction will finish May 2005 which is now but i guess September as you say would be the Opening Day
They also mention this as being one of the biggest malls in the Balkans with an area of 21.500 square meters

http://www.univers-al.com/image/planet/foto1.gif

http://www.univers-al.com/image/2_Tirana_persp.jpg

http://www.univers-al.com/image/planet/foto2.gif

http://www.univers-al.com/image/kam/kepuc.jpg

http://www.univers-al.com/image/kam/tbardh.jpg



I think largest one in central and Eastern Europe is in Warsaw with about 97000 sq. m, 2nd largest one is Prague with 87000 sq. m, 3rd largest in in Zagreb with 85000 sq. m King Cross shopping centre. Although they are building larger one in Poland it is near Poznan and would be over 100 000 sq. m and also huge one near Zagreb about 150 000 sq. m but this are projects in process of planning not constructed yet...

^^^

Akropolis in Vilnius 110 000 sqm :)

Moscow's mall is the biggest in the entire world but it's under construction i think

Furthermore, couldn't they think of a better, more unique design?

the biggest mall under construction is the burj al in dubai it will also be the biggest building in the world

The fashion stores do not ever want to position themselves outside of the main city, they stay where people walk. Especially, now with the skyscrapers around Skenderbeu there will be no need for them to look outside of the center of the Tirana where most of the walking is done.

Furthermore, couldn't they think of a better, more unique design?

For a shopping center the design looks immpressive
The front part of the mall looks very cool with those red entrances and i belive it looks like a glass facade
That is quite modern
Here in the States malls are very average looking , they look like normal malls from the outside
I like the project and i definitely like the location and of course the free bus transportation :cheers:

QTU looks really impressive i heard it will get 1 . 5 million customers a year

Acctually the site mentions 2.5 million customers a year are expected
In addition the mall will also have a movie theater , a bar to serve alchoholic beverages , restaurants , eatery hall , a mini court for kids to play amongst other things
Half of the parking spaces will be indoor and the other half will be outdoor
Sounds like a cool place to hang out in a sunday afternoon for sure :cheers:

yep the biggest shop in the mall looks like that hyper market how big is it

Well if there will be nice venues with pizzas, beers, a movie theater, and PUB-s it will easily achieve 2.5 million. Albanians love to hang out all day, and having a big place offering these kinds of activities, will help building a strong love towards it :).
:cheers:

yep the biggest shop in the mall looks like that hyper market how big is it

Hypermarket "Euromax" will be approximately 4000 sq. m
Right next to it you will have a big shop of 1700 sq. m called "Neptun Shops" which will sell mainly electric and home appliances.
These 2 will be located in the center of the mall

Euromax and Neptun belongs to the people who are building the mall.

The Manager for the Euromax is a Geneva based French man, with working experience in hypermarkets, Carrefour being one of them. The purchase manager will be a Indian national with many years experience in Dubai supermarkets, among others.

They have finalise and already purchased (from France) the inventory and financial software packagge and the check-out counter machines from IBM. The storagge refrigerators have already arrived from Italy. They have plans to open other Euromax supermarkets in the future, ofcourse after they consolidate this one.

The Food Court will have only 4 outlets, unfortunatelly and one Garden Caffe outdoor. I haven't heard for a movie theatre so I doubt it will have one.

I think largest one in central and Eastern Europe is in Warsaw with about 97000 sq. m, 2nd largest one is Prague with 87000 sq. m, 3rd largest in in Zagreb with 85000 sq. m King Cross shopping centre. Although they are building larger one in Poland it is near Poznan and would be over 100 000 sq. m and also huge one near Zagreb about 150 000 sq. m but this are projects in process of planning not constructed yet...

We are talking about one of the biggest in Balkan, and Balkan is neither Central, nor Eastern Europe. ;)

We are talking about one of the biggest in Balkan, and Balkan is neither Central, nor Eastern Europe. ;)

Croatia at least is. If htey don't make it quite a unique entertainment center as well, I doubt they make anything out of it. The Sky Tower shopping center and the Sheraton Hotel one, are succesfull mainly because of their location and QTU will actaully be in a very bad one. Despite the fact that there will be free bus rides (and may I doubt this will be for a limited time) there is nothing itneresting around there unless people find cows, grass, Coca Cola building, a hihgway and some villages as such. ;)

:cheers:

I think that their building will never be hang out place, no matter how many alcoholic beverages they sell. it will just be a huge shopping mall were people can go and buy stuff cheaper than at the shops in the center because the companies will be able to buy everything at bulk. I cannot imagine the tirana youth to decide to take a free bus ride so they can hang out at that building.

Another project:

http://www.lurashpk.com/images/1502.JPG

The four buildings are 18 floor each and the complex will be located in one of the informal suburban areas of Tirana. The development of the area is joint effort of the City Hall, Lura sh.p.k and ARC. Firenze.

Here is an almost finished building by the same company that will built the building in my previous post:

http://www.lurashpk.com/images/1500.JPG

where in tirana is that and what is its use

It is near "Zogu Zi" (Black Bird) area. I don't know of it is use. But proably is a motel due to the fact that just under it there a gas station.

The last pic if you say it's by Zogu i Zi than it's near the train station
Nice building

Another project:

http://www.lurashpk.com/images/1502.JPG

The four buildings are 18 floor each and the complex will be located in one of the informal suburban areas of Tirana. The development of the area is joint effort of the City Hall, Lura sh.p.k and ARC. Firenze.

Ok , it's official
Tirana has some of the coolest architecture around :cheers:
This project looks so cool

The last pic if you say it's by Zogu i Zi than it's near the train station

Not exactly. The building is located in Muhamed Gjollesha St. and it is minutes from Qemal Stafa High School. In front of this building there is a building painted alla Edi Rama but it is special because on the facade it written: "These are the things we are fighting for" (in english). I like the building, not because it is speacial or anything, but because the architecture around is mainly concrete and tiny windows and the glass gives that area a new dimmension.

Ok , it's official
Tirana has some of the coolest architecture around
This project looks so cool

And there are othe projects as well. As I am writing this I am trying to find renderings of them as well more rendering of the above. :cheers:

Not exactly. The building is located in Muhamed Gjollesha St. and it is minutes from Qemal Stafa High School. In front of this building there is a building painted alla Edi Rama but it is special because on the facade it written: "These are the things we are fighting for" (in english). I like the building, not because it is speacial or anything, but because the architecture around is mainly concrete and tiny windows and the glass gives that area a new dimmension.


Holly ..... :runaway:
M.Gjollesha does meet Zogu i Zi , what the f*** was i thinking , Zogu I?
Elementary School "Qemal Stafa" where many commie kids went to has been nicely renovated
I hear they have cleaned up nice the whole area in Tirana e Re
Abdyl Frasheri st. where it meets Muhamet Gjollesha st. havent they built some kind of a water fountain there?
Is San Paolo still there? .... I heard they closed it.
That's where Pallati Sigma that is now darker green is located if i am correct
I left so long ago when i was little kid , i cant remember much
Keep us updated Illiricum
You are doing a fantastic job :cheers:

Illiricum , do you know where the first project in this thread is located? .... (the one in the first post)

Holly ..... :runaway:
M.Gjollesha does meet Zogu i Zi , what the f*** was i thinking , Zogu I?
Elementary School "Qemal Stafa" where many commie kids went to has been nicely renovated
I hear they have cleaned up nice the whole area in Tirana e Re
Abdyl Frasheri st. where it meets Muhamet Gjollesha st. havent they built some kind of a water fountain there?
Is San Paolo still there? .... I heard they closed it.
That's where Pallati Sigma that is now darker green is located if i am correct
I left so long ago when i was little kid , i cant remember much
Keep us updated Illiricum
You are doing a fantastic job :cheers:

Not exactly again :) Qemal Stafa is a high school actually and I studied there :) (Qemal Stafa's grandson used to be my geography teacher there). It is the first gymnasium in Tirana dating back to 1924. Tirana e Re is far from the building and it's normal to confuse stuff cause Muhamed Gjollesha is one of the longest street in Tirana. You probably have been away for a long time :) San Paolo the disco club? It has probably been closed because not meeting acoustic pollution standards. There was a quite popular trial on this.

Back on track. Here is a map showing its location:

http://img276.echo.cx/img276/5627/harta9vu.th.jpg (http://img276.echo.cx/my.php?image=harta9vu.jpg)


Funny fact: "Zogu i zi" used to be a "red light district" in Tirana's old days ('20s-'30s) with commercial sex working at its best. Thus its name, "Black Bird", well I guess you know what it refers to. :cheers:

Illiricum , do you know where the first project in this thread is located? .... (the one in the first post)

I have absolutely no idea. :) :cheers:

Damn :lol: ...... it's been only 12 years
I have even forgotten albanian , i have hard time finding words that i knew when i was younger but i cant remember them now.
Nevertheless , great description with the map , it is detailed enough.

Another request if you dont mind
Since you are acctually there can you tell us of any major projects you know or have seen that are on the works at the moment
The papers dont give us much so we are clueless about what's acctually going on
I have to wait for Shqiperia.com to update its gallery every 12 months:D:D

Damn :lol: ...... it's been only 12 years
I have even forgotten albanian , i have hard time finding words that i knew when i was younger but i cant remember them now.
Nevertheless , great description with the map , it is detailed enough.

And I thought explaining its location in Albanian :) :runaway: :cheers:

PS: At time writing this I am angry because minutes from my place there is a big residential complex being built and it is a nice one. The problem is I am not finding my camera :no:

Another request if you dont mind
Since you are acctually there can you tell us of any major projects you know or have seen that are on the works at the moment
The papers dont give us much so we are clueless about what's acctually going on
I have to wait for Shqiperia.com to update its gallery every 12 months:D:D

I will work on it :)

And I thought explaining its location in Albanian :) :runaway: :cheers:

PS: At time writing this I am angry because minutes from my place there is a big residential complex being built and it is a nice one. The problem is I am not finding my camera :no:

:lol:
If it wasnt for the internet i would've forgotten albanian
Where i live there are no albanians near by and i have no friends who speak albanian , neither relatives nor anything
Thank god for the morning papers that i am able to get back what i have lost for being away for so long and i share my passion for our beautiful country in this forum :)

I will work on it :)

Exellent :cheers:

yh good work illiricum i think tirana is just growing non stop i reckon in 10 years its gonna be huge and popular around the world

Yes , i think in 10 years Tirana will be a very interesting city for sure;)

yh good work illiricum i think tirana is just growing non stop i reckon in 10 years its gonna be huge and popular around the world


We need to be realistical here. I, myself, am a supporter of Tirana and it's sucsess, so don't get me wrong. :) I just think your pushing the limit if you think 10 years it'll make a city that isn't "internationaly" known, into that and more.
See me, I'm guessing about 11 years. ;) :D

Tirana is already awsome in term of lifestyle. If you are young and have the energy to keep up with its rythm. There also other sides of Tirana, as the capital of a poor country. If local authorities will keep up the good work, in 25 years, also the time when the French project on the center of the city it is supposed to be finished, Tirana will definitely be a nice European capital with lots of modern buildings. I hope that it does not loose its vitality in the mean time and that the generations to come will give the city the same energy todays youth are giving it. I love Tirana, besides for being my homecity and having wonderful memories in every corner of it, because it is very youthful and youth friendly. If you visit Tirana downtown you hardly see people over 30 and everything is built to fit this age group. Then its colorfull and full of new buildings and new business centers being built. Sometimes it gives the impression that the whole city is under construction. Despite all the concrete and glass being put in massively, the green areas of city are constantly growing as well. Imagine the "Tirana Grand Park" of the French project, an awsome big green area in the middle of the capital.
Tirana is already a very safe and nice city but in the years to come, hoping the economy will still grow at actual rates :), we will definitely have a new must visit place in the Balkans. Not to mention all the great work that is being done outside of Tirana with lots of tourist villages being built and all the regional development strategies. If everything goes smooth, the city will rock.

:) :cheers:

PS: I know I love my city...everybody does :)

i really think that tirana can be something to look as soon as possible because it is up to the politicians. I don't think that it is dependant on the economy anymore. Look at panama city and tirana. you can't even compare the two. panama city is in the same level as NYC but if you look at both countries economy they are on the same level. very small difference. look at macedonia and albania also. Macedonia is in better condition because they have some real politicians there. For Tirana and all of albania to become great we need some real politicians that actually care about the country. i strongly beleive that albanias economic situation has settled and now and only needs to grow. the reason why this doesn't show is because of our politicians. Damn you nano and berisha. All they do is steal thetax payers money. So many things can be built with that money. Its all up to the politicians but i hope someone new and better wins this year.

The economy is growing...and fast. 6%-8% annual growth is no joke. Tirana is no tup to the politicians but up to investors. Politicians don't pay for the building to be raised. Investors do.

illiricum is anything happening at kinostudio neighborhood? that map gave me back memories of the neighborhood i used to live in. by the end of bajram curri road right before kino studjo begins. in the map it labeled green area.

i havent been there for 10 years. anything changed down there? is the gas station still in poor condition?

investors get turned away from our weak judical system. thats why people are scared to invest there because they fear they'll lose their money to corrupt politicians.

illiricum is anything happening at kinostudio neighborhood? that map gave me back memories of the neighborhood i used to live in. by the end of bajram curri road right before kino studjo begins. in the map it labeled green area.

i havent been there for 10 years. anything changed down there? is the gas station still in poor condition?

LOL I lived there too, 1981 - 1998 when I left the country, my family moved out from there in early 2000.

My building, a parafabrikat one near "29 Nendori" school (I studied there 1982 -1986), was just next to the Kinostudio wall and I had great views over the olive trees and the Dajti mountain. I remember spending time in the window trying to spot vehicles moving up and down the mountain road.

investors get turned away from our weak judical system. thats why people are scared to invest there because they fear they'll lose their money to corrupt politicians.

Investments have grown, not rapidly, but they have grown. Serious investors are interested in Albania and you can see this from the interest shown in different bids by famous multinationals. Not that I like this all thing of bids and cetera but it is not as you think it is. The judiciary is improving.

LOL I lived there too, 1981 - 1998 when I left the country, my family moved out from there in early 2000.

My building, a parafabrikat one near "29 Nendori" school (I studied there 1982 -1986), was just next to the Kinostudio wall and I had great views over the olive trees and the Dajti mountain. I remember spending time in the window trying to spot vehicles moving up and down the mountain road.

awsome. :)
i lived at the bus station stop(the building facing it- 5th floor). i used to sneak in the kinostudjo many times, to steal mimoza, olives, cherries, and ofcourse kumblla. :cheers:
once i even went there to get steal some bible stories books(the ones brought in by the western missionaries). :bash: the bigger kids told me to do it. :bash:

the guards never did anything, sometimes they even let us in. and me and my buddies went to dajti hills thousands of times, that place was great. last time i was there a motel was being build(almost complete) on the hills next to the road that leads to dajti.

you lived very near the school right? i hated the dog that guarded your area (the road between kinostudjo and the school). :moods:

youre way older than me, i want to that school from 1991-95.

In 10 years Tirana will come to that point where western europeans will acctually want to live there
The city will be transformed so much by then because major projects are already in place and they will be finished much earlier than that
Skenderbeu Square will be finished in 5 years maximum
The architecture in the city is fantastic , it has so many parks and more will be added;)
I think the city will look to extend itslef a bit more towards Dajti , the population will most certainly rise by 25% in my opinion
Tirana just like it's name will be beautiful , it will be a unique capital in Europe with its unique history , unique architecture and of course natural beauty that many capitals dont have
I am very optimistic about the next decade;)

In 10 years Tirana will come to that point where western europeans will acctually want to live there
The city will be transformed so much by then because major projects are already in place and they will be finished much earlier than that
Skenderbeu Square will be finished in 5 years maximum
The architecture in the city is fantastic , it has so many parks and more will be added;)
I think the city will look to extend itslef a bit more towards Dajti , the population will most certainly rise by 25% in my opinion
Tirana just like it's name will be beautiful , it will be a unique capital in Europe with its unique history , unique architecture and of course natural beauty that many capitals dont have
I am very optimistic about the next decade;)


Take it easy;)

Illiricum , what's going on with the danish project?
Has work started on it yet?

Another project:

http://www.lurashpk.com/images/1502.JPG

The four buildings are 18 floor each and the complex will be located in one of the informal suburban areas of Tirana. The development of the area is joint effort of the City Hall, Lura sh.p.k and ARC. Firenze.


Gheto 2005 here we come! This looks like a bunch of containers were put together at a port. What on earth is this supposed to be?
Is this a Leggo buiding? Pre-Fab ? The architect is the Shemshedini the crane operator at Durres Port. Having 25 years of container moving and stacking comes in handy when you have to project somthing of this scale.
Step one: Take 30 containers that have just arrived in a ship from Zimbabwe.
Step two: With the big crane stack them one on top of each other, like a big Leggo puzzle.
Step three: Super Glue them together.
Step 4: Paint them alla-Rama
Step five: Buldoze the Bathore quarter and move all its inhabitants in this monstuosity called "Appartment Building"

Whey! Ghetto 2005 before you know it.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

...........

EDHE DY NDERTESA TE BUKURA NE TIRANE

TIRANE - Ambicia e ndertesave te reja qe po ngrihen vitet e fundit ne Tirane eshte permiresuar edhe me dy projektet e paraqitura dje publikisht, dhe te cilesuara si nga me ambiciozet ne keto kohe. Ngritja e nje salle te re bashkekohore teatri tek Qendra Nderkombetare e Kultures si dhe rikonstruktimi, ose sjellja ne identitet e nderteses se ish-Parlamentit shqiptar. Sipas ministrit te Kultures, Blendi Klosi shpenzimet per keto projekte, qe pritet te perfundojne ne dy vitet e ardhshme, do te behen me fondet publike te MKRS, Bashkise se Tiranes dhe donatoreve te ndryshem. Studio "Enigma" me arkitekt kryesor Klement Kolanecin eshte ajo qe ka projektuar sallen e re te teatrit, duke zgjidhur keshtu nje nga problemet e komunitetit artistik ne sherbim te teatrit, ate te mungeses se sallave.

Ne pranine e mjaft arkitekteve, artisteve te teatrit, gazetareve, studio "Enigma" paraqiti ne mjediset e Galerise Kombetare te Arteve me ane te nje videoprojeksioni projektin e kesaj salle. Me pas video-projeksioni u shoqerua me shpjegime detajuese nga arkitekti Klement Kolaneci, i cili ne fakt per shkak te mungeses se nje mikrofoni, as qe u degjua, vetem nga disa specialiste shume afer tij. Megjithate ne pesh-peshet e zakonshme shqiptare, pas shpine e jo ne sy, arkitekte te ndryshem shprehnin verejtje te dobishme, qe kishin te benin me mosshfrytezimin e gjithe hapesirave te kesaj salle. Salla parashikohet me 500 vende, por sipas ketyre te fundit, ajo me gjithe ate hapsire qe mbetej bosh, krijon keqardhje qe te mos shfrytezohej. Por ajo do te kete te gjitha parametrat bashkekohore dhe parashikohet nga me modernet ne rajon. "Me vjen mire qe ky objekt me kete rast do t"i kthehet me shume qytetit", u shpreh Klement Kolaneci, dhendri i Enver Hoxhes, per ish-Piramiden, dmth ish-Muzeun kushtuar Hoxhes. Ndersa per godinen e ish-Parlamentit shqiptar shpjegimet i beri Sulejman Dashi, restaurues i Institutit te Monumenteve. Ai shpjegoi se ne kete ndertese jane bere punime, por me projektin e ri, qe parashikohet te perfundoje brenda dy vjetesh, do te perfundojne punimet e plota ne te.

Prirja eshte qe te ruhet pamja origjinale e nderteses, te parit objekt urban ne qender te Tiranes, e per kete disponohet edhe pamja ne origjinal, e vitit 1924, kur filloi historia e saj, me nismen e ish-Lartmadherise se tij, Mbretit Zog. Fillimisht si nje shtepi oficerash, pastaj Akademi Shkencash e me pas me propozim te Bashkise u vendos te kthehej ne Parlament. Ne kohe kjo ndertese ka pesuar ndryshime, i eshte hequr kupola, por asnjehere nuk humbi pamjen origjinale, madje ka mjaft elemente te vecante qe ruhen ne origjinal.

Tashme ka nje skene, sipas Sulejman Dashit, qe mendohet te hiqet. Rruga perpara Parlamentit do te mbyllet nga te dy anet, te mos kalojne makina dhe keshtu merr formen e nje shetitoreje, ne kontekstin edhe te kompleksit ministerial qe eshte afer, apo lulishtes, edhe ajo historike, dhe pjese e monumentit te kultures. "Gjithe zhurma qe behet ne kete zone eshte e papranueshme", tha Dashi. Nderkohe qe sipas tij perdorimi i kesaj ndertese mund te jete i gjithfarshem. Pasi ne ende nuk e kemi luksin te mbajme nje ndertese jofunksionale. Mund te jete edhe nje muze, por mund te kete edhe salla per koncerte, ashtu si behej dikur, kur Fan Noli i binte aty violines, apo flautit. Ajo qe ka mbetur pa perfunduar eshte ornametika e brendshme. Pritet te behen sondazhet dhe te rikthehet ne gjendjen e meparshme, duke rikujtuar se ne balle te hyrjes ka qene Skenderbeu. Verejtja e studiuesit Sulejman Dashi ishte per ngjyren e tjegullave, ne projekt paraqitur si e kuqe. "Une jam per ngjyren gri me furde", do te shprehej ai. M.Alla

^ That article was a mess of amatorial journalism. :nuts:

NEWS:


RIVLERESIM I NDERTESES SE PARLAMENTIT TE PARE

Rivleresimi i nderteses ku u mblodh parlamenti i pare shqiptar dhe krijimi i nje teatri ne Odeonin e Piramides jane projektet me te fundit te miratuara nga Keshilli Kombetar i Restaurimeve me kryetar ministrin e Kultures, Blendi Klosi. Projekti pare i takon rivleresimit dhe kthimit ne identitet te nderteses se pare historike te parlamentit shqiptar, sot Teatri i Kukullave. Teatri i ri ne qender te Piramides, pritet te krijoje nje hapesire funksionale per artin. Arkitekt Klement Kolaneci shpjegoi se ideja e teatrit te ri do te sjelle mjedise luksoze ne 1/3 e Piramides, duke ngritur teatrin me modern ne rajon.

:cheers1: :cheers1:

I read in the paper earlier that Edi Rama anounced a plan to have cars in Tirana by 2008 needing a licence to pass through Skenderbeu Sqaure
So basiccally you cannot drive through Skenderbeu Square if you dont have some kind of special permit

Illiricum , what is up with these yellow and purple renault buses? :runaway:
I saw a while back they got some weird looking green buses.
The orange buses i have seen are the most attractive by far;)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/tirana20-re.jpg

The purple and yellow ones are used in "Tirana e Re" route while the green ones in the "Unaza" one.
Welcome back from the brig! It was getting boring without you!

;):cheers:

Gheto 2005 here we come! This looks like a bunch of containers were put together at a port. What on earth is this supposed to be?
Is this a Leggo buiding? Pre-Fab ? The architect is the Shemshedini the crane operator at Durres Port. Having 25 years of container moving and stacking comes in handy when you have to project somthing of this scale.
Step one: Take 30 containers that have just arrived in a ship from Zimbabwe.
Step two: With the big crane stack them one on top of each other, like a big Leggo puzzle.
Step three: Super Glue them together.
Step 4: Paint them alla-Rama
Step five: Buldoze the Bathore quarter and move all its inhabitants in this monstuosity called "Appartment Building"

Whey! Ghetto 2005 before you know it.


it is a good copy of MVRDV's housing complex in amsterdam. for everyone who is an architect that design is defined as a masterpiece. contemporary dutch architecture is apreciated among architects. apartments are with nice and functional spatial distribution. all apartments have a nice view, structure is a mechanism. to me the most important thing is to have windows from the ceiling till the floor, and the did it there! i hope that this building in tirana (that is good copy) would be constructed.

ps. better good copy then poor original, or even worse dated original!
it is better to provide good apartment than "likeable facade". what would you like better? to live in a nice bright apartment with big rooms and big widows with nice view in a building that looks like that one , or in a "nice" building with many windows and decoration, but with dark apartments with questionable spatial distribution that could have had a nice view if "a nice facade" wasn't there to cover it?


this is the amsterdam block!

Is it a boat? Is it a storage? No it's MVRDV!

http://homepages.compuserve.de/DrLudgerFischer/Amsterdam_MVRDV_housing.jpg

http://www.classic.archined.nl/news/0201/mvrdv_3.jpg

http://www.architektur-online.com/archiv/Heft0502/Bilder/Casco/silo09.jpg

^And the project of MVRDV that was approved in Tirana is great design as well.

Regarding the building block, I think it is really nice and fits Tirana pretty well and will start construction very soon.

One of the towers in the center of Tirana is supposed to start works these days. I forgot which one of them though.

^
i didn't know that project for tirana was MVRDV's as well. good! congratulations u have imported a good taste from holland! soon everything in tirana will "hang" like in rotterdam . MVRDV are great!

^
i didn't know that project for tirana was MVRDV's as well. good! congratulations u have imported a good taste from holland! soon everything in tirana will "hang" like in rotterdam . MVRDV are great!

No Sergionni that project is not by MVRDV. This is the one that MVRDV designed and that will be built soon:

http://img91.echo.cx/img91/1857/mvrdvtirana0057fc.jpg

http://img91.echo.cx/img91/5706/mvrdvtirana0005uj.jpg

http://img91.echo.cx/img91/1990/mvrdvtirana0036yw.jpg

http://img91.echo.cx/img91/9598/holandezi21ay.th.jpg (http://img91.echo.cx/my.php?image=holandezi21ay.jpg)

Projekti i bashkisë synon rindërtimin e bllokut me sipërfaqe 18 hektarë. Rrugë, lulishte, ndriçim

Ish-Parku i Autobusëve, 148 milionë lekë rikonstruksionin

http://www.shekulli.com.al/newsfoto/24_06_2005_1.jpg

Bruna Prifti

Hartës së zonave të rikonstruktuara të Tiranës i shtohet së shpejti edhe blloku i banimit tek ish-Parku i Autobusëve. Një fond prej 148 milionë lekësh, pjesë e buxhetit të bashkisë, do të sistemojë tërësisht zonën që ndodhet mes rrugëve “Stavri Themeli“ - “Babë Rexha” – “Ndre Mjeda” – “Rruga e Kavajës”. Projeti i bashkisë për këtë bllok banimi parashikon ndërhyrje nga e para në rrjetin e kanalizimeve, rrjetin rrugor, sistemin ndriçues, krijimin e këndeve për fëmijët dhe hapësira të gjelbra. Kryebashkiaku i Tiranës, Edi Rama, e ka cilësuar ndërhyrjen në këtë zonë vazhdim të punës për plotësimin e hartës së blloqeve të Tiranës me cilësi të re jete. “Nisim sot punën për 20 hektarë të tjerë, në një tjetër bllok. Ne vazhdojmë përmbushjen e rrugës për të plotësuar hartën e blloqeve të Tiranës me cilësi të re jete, me kushte krejt të reja të infrastrukturës dhe mbi të gjitha, me një mjedis krejt tjetër për të gjithë komunitetin e këtyre blloqeve”, - tha ia dje gjatë nisjes së punimeve. Sipas tij, puna në këto blloqe do të sjellë edhe një ndryshim shpirtëror përsa i përket pjesëmarrjes më të gjerë në jetën komunitare dhe shoqërizimin më të lehtë në një qytet i cili ka nevojë gjithnjë e më shumë për hapësira, ku njerëzit mund të shoqërizohen jo vetëm për politikë, por mbi të gjitha për jetën e tyre të përditshme dhe për çlodhjen nga streset e punës.
Projekti
Rrugët që do të rikonstruktohen në projekt janë trajtuar në përputhje me zhvillimin urban të bllokut që parashikon ndërtime të reja shumëkatëshe ekzistuese dhe të atyre që po ndërtohen. Sipas projektit, gjerësia e trupit të rrugës është 7 metra, ndërsa shtresat e saj janë llogaritur në mënyrë të tillë që të sigurojnë garanci për rrugën, qëndrueshmëri dhe të përballojnë kapacitetet faktike dhe të perspektivës për një periudhë 10-vjeçare. Trotuaret që do të jenë të reja e të shtruara me pllaka, do të kenë një gjerësi nga një metër deri në 2 metër. “Zgjerimi i trotuareve bëhet për të mundësuar mbjelljen e drurëve dekorativë në të dy anët e rrugëve”, - thonë specialistët e bashkisë. Krahas rrjetit të ri të kanalizimeve, është parashikuar edhe ndërtimi i një rrjeti të ri për mbledhjen e ujërave të shiut. Sa i përket ndriçimit, ai do të jetë me shtylla të larta, si në anët e rrugës, ashtu edhe në rrugët e brendshme të bllokut. Në fund të gjithë këtyre, do të bëhet shtimi i sipërfaqeve të gjelbra, lulishteve dhe gjelbërimit rrugor.
Pse duhet ndërhyrë?
Mungesë kanalizimesh, rrugë jashtë standardit dhe bllok i konceptuar për një tjetër epokë. Kur në zonë sundonin banesat private. Atë zonë pak të gjelbëruar e kanë zënë ndërtesat pa leje dhe shtesat e pallateve, bëra po ashtu ilegalçe. Për të gjitha këto dhe për ta unifikuar edhe këtë pjesë të Tiranës me metropolin në zhvillim, bashkia e pa të udhës të ndërhyjë. Sipas specialistëve të punëve publike pranë bashkisë, të gjitha rrugët ekzistuese sekondare kanë nevojë të trajtohen nga pikëpamja e ndërtimit të infrastrukturës, jo vetëm përsa i përket ndërtimit të shtresave rrugore, por edhe për ndërtimin e rrjetit sekondar të kanalizimeve, të ujësjellësit, për ndërtimin e rrjetit të ndriçimit rrugor etj. Po ashtu, trotuarët mungojnë thuajse totalisht në këtë zonë dhe duhet të bëhen të reja. Zona është në zhvillim, e kjo duket nga shtimi i numrit të popullsisë dhe rritja e aktiviteteve tregtare. Por mungesa e ndërhyrjes për një kohë të gjatë ka sjellë degradimin e plotë të rrugëve të brendshme, të kanalizimeve të ujërave të zeza, ndriçimit e gjelbërimit


“Myslym Shyri”
Dy herë në javë, makinat parkim në kahun e kundërt

Për t’i lënë rrugë të lirë makinave të pastrimit, të fshijnë e të lajnë rrugët e Tiranës, në dy ditë të javës automjetet nuk do të parkojnë në kahun normal. Projekti i Bashkisë së Tiranës, zbatuar nga sektori i transportit, synon përmirësimin e cilësisë së pastrimit. Gjithçka do të nisë mbrëmjen e sotme, në rrugën “Myslym Shyri”, e më pas do të shtrihet edhe në rrugë të tjera. “Ditën e hënë dhe të premte, gjatë orëve të natës, nga ora 2200 deri 0600, janë të detyruara të parkojnë jo në kahun normal, por në tjetrin”, - thotë drejtori i transportit pranë bashkisë. Sipas tij, gjithçka është lehtësisht e kuptueshme përmes tabelave sinjalizuese të rrugëve që janë vendosur në akset nga do të nisë zbatimi i projektit. Nuk bëhet fjalë për tarifa parkimi, thjesht drejtuesit e automjeteve duhet të jenë të vëmendshëm këtë radhë që t’i ruhen ndëshkimeve me gjobë. Pasi, sipas njoftimit të bashkisë, mosrespektimi i tabelës së përcaktuar për mënyrën e parkimit do të shoqërohet me gjoba. “Ky aksion zhvillohet në bashkëpunim me Komisariatin e Qarkullimit Rrugor të Drejtorisë së Policisë së Qarkut Tiranë dhe do të shërbejë për përmirësimin e situatës mjedisore në kryeqytet”, - thuhet në njoftimin e bashkisë. Sa i përket tarifave të parkimit, sipas ndarjes zonale të Tiranës, kjo do të bëhet një një kohë më të vonë.


Punimet
Veshje rruge 20 479 m2
Veshje trotuari 878 m2
Kanalizime për ujërat e zeza 2 922 ml
Tubacione ujësjellësi 3 778 ml
Ndriçues të lartë 157 copë

I have to admitt that I am impressed it seems you're really bomming right now, congrats

Thanks delfin.
Yes , Tirana is really moving at fast speed.

Plani i madh Rregullues për Tiranën, në fazën e dytë. Rama: Realizimi i planit, brenda 9 muajsh

Plani Rregullues, gara mes 6 studiove në 15 korrik


Bruna Prifti

Mesi i korrikut do të ballafaqojë në një garë të fortë 6 studiot e përzgjedhura për ideimin e Planit Rregullues të Tiranës. Konkurs që do t’i hapë rrugën realizimit të planit aq të domosdoshëm për kryeqytetin. Kryebashkiaku i Tiranës, Edi Rama, në një takim me përfaqësuesit e studiove konkurruese bëri publike datën e zhvillimit të konkursit, 15 korrikun, dhe premtoi se plot nëntë muaj pas garës, plani do të jetë realizuar. “Ky plan rregullues nuk do t’i ngjajë asgjëje që është bërë më parë, por do të ndërtohet mbi koncepte bashkëkohore, krejtësisht të reja, jo si një plan i ngurtë dhe i papërdorshëm, as si ai plani pseudostrategjik i Tiranës së madhe që është përsëri i papërdorshëm, por si një plan që do të bashkojë vizionin tonë, eksperiencën e studiove dhe vullnetin e komunitetit”, - tha Rama, duke kërkuar prej konkurrentëve vëmendje të veçantë në trafikun e qytetit dhe gjelbërimin e tij.
Faza e dytë
Gara mes studiove franceze, angleze, amerikane, zvicerane dhe holandeze përbën fazën e dytë të procesit të përgatitjes së Planit të madh Rregullues të Tiranës. Fillimi i së cilës, daton më 8 mars 2005, me publikimin e kërkesës për shprehje interesi në UNDB (United Nations Development Bussiness), gazetë zyrtare e UN. Paralelisht, kompania turke “INTRASPACE” po përgatit të dhënat satelitore për Tiranës. Të dhëna, që sipas kryebashkiakut Rama, do t’i shërbejnë studiove konkurruese në punën e tyre për planin. Kryebashkiaku në takimin e djeshëm e cilësoi këtë fazë si kurorëzimin e një pune disavjeçare. Sipas Ramës, përgatitja e Planit Rregullues të një qyteti, qoftë dhe të qyteteve me bazë të dhënash shumë të konsoliduar, siç janë qytetet perëndimore, kërkon vite të tëra. Ai ka kujtuar Romën, që iu deshën 9 vjet për një realizim të tillë, ndërkohë që Moska ende nuk e ka përfunduar, ndonëse e ka nisur që në fillim të viteve ’90. “Është një punë kolosale, po të kihen parasysh kushtet në të cilat ndodhet vendi ynë, përsa i takon bazës së të dhënave, një punë që po e sintetizon kompania “INTRASPACE”, në krijimin e bazës dixhitale të të dhënave, e cila do të jetë një bazë të dhënash që do të shërbejë për qytetin në të gjitha aspektet, jo vetëm në aspektin e rrugëve dhe godinave, por edhe deri në aspektin e taksave, deri në aspektin e të gjithë njohjes për çdo metër katror aktivitet në qytetin e Tiranës”, - sqaroi ai.
Takimi
Qëllimi i takimit ishte sqarimi i problemeve apo pyetjeve që mund të kishin dalë gjatë përgatitjes së pjesëmarrësve në këtë konkurrim për dorëzimin e propozimeve të tyre për zhvillimin e planit të qytetit.
Pyetjet që mund të dorëzoheshin me shkrim ose në rrugë elektronike, do të merrnin përgjigjet e ekspertëve në të njëjtën kohë për secilën kompani. Studiot dolën nga gara e zhvilluar nën monitorimin e Bankës Botërore dhe me financimin e qeverisë së Mbretërisë së Holandës, në bazë të procedurës së short-listimit. Nga rreth 14 studio të interesura u bë një listë me 6 të tilla, të cilat tani do të paraqesin koncept-idenë për t’u paraqitur me pas në datën 15 korrik, përpara një jurie ndërkombëtare, që do të përzgjedhë studion fituese. Gjatë takimit, kryetari i bashkisë ka theksuar vështirësinë që është hasur gjatë punës, pasi të dhënat mbi nëntokën, ndërtesat, ato kadastrale e hipotekore janë tërësisht të çorodituara e shpesh në kundërshtim me njëra-tjetrën.

Çfarë synohet
Një Plan i madh Rregullues
Plani i ri Rregullues synon të ndryshojë Tiranën nga një qytet të shpërndarë me zona banimi të krijuara në mënyrë të rastësishme, drejt një qyteti kompakt. Qytet i ngjashëm me metropolet e tjera, pa zhurma e pluhur asfiksues, me shumë biznese të vendosura nëpër qendra të reja dhe me periferi jo të llojit të sotshëm, por tërësisht të zhvilluara. Synohet zgjatja e bulevardit “Dëshmorët e Kombit” deri në lumin e Lanës, ndërtimi i qendrave gjigante të biznesit, shumë hapësirë për parqe dhe linja të reja transporti. Përparësi do të ketë shfrytëzimi i transportit me tramvaj. Janë parashikuar dy linja transporti, njëra përgjatë bulevardit kryesor dhe tjera përgjatë Lanës. Hapësira e gjelbër do të shtohet me dy parqe të mëdha, Parku i Paskuqanit dhe Parku i Farkës. Nga ana tjetër, një brez jeshil do të shoqërojë të gjithë lumin e Tiranës që do të zgjatet deri në “Rrugën e Elbasanit” për t'ju bashkëngjitur unazës së madhe të qytetit.
Synimi i gjithë këtij procesi është përcaktimi i një sistemi rregullator të planifikimit, bazë e të cilit për momentin është ligji i urbanistikës (1998) dhe Plani rregullues i Tiranës i hartuar në vitin 1989.


Studiot konkurruese
1. DHV Envr. & Infr. BV & Mecanoo Architecten (Holandë)

2. MVRDV Architekten Bureau (Holandë)

3. Urban Institute & Mix Tecnic & Urban Research Institute USA (USA & Shqipëri)

4. LOUIS Berger SAS (Francë)

5. Halkroë Group (Britani)

6. Urbaplan (Zvicër)



Synimi i këtij procesi është përcaktimi i një sistemi rregullator të planifikimit, bazë e të cilit për momentin është ligji i urbanistikës (1998) dhe Plani rregullues i Tiranës i hartuar në vitin 1989, i cili është ende në fuqi.
Plani i ri Rregullues synon të ndryshojë Tiranën nga një qytet të shpërndarë me zona banimi të krijuara në mënyrë të rastësishme, drejt një qyteti kompakt.
Kështu është menduar të zotërohet metropoli në 20 vjetët e ardhshme, pas hartimit të Planit Rregullues.
Madje dhe zhurma e pluhuri asfiksues i Tiranës mendohet të zhduken.
Stimulimi i bizneseve në qendrat e reja,
Periferitë janë ato pika ku "nxehtësia" do të marrë trajta të rëndësishme stimuluese.
Në këtë konteks është menduar të zgjatet bulevardi “Dëshmorët e Kombit” edhe një herë sa është deri në lumin e Tiranës.
Sakaq në këtë zonë do t'i mëshohet ndërtimit të qendrave gjigante të biznesit.
Parqe të reja
Dy parqe të mëdha do t'i shtohen kryeqytetit, Parku i Paskuqanit dhe Parku i Farkës.
Nga ana tjetër, një brez jeshil do të shoqërojë të gjithë lumin e Tiranës, i cili (në ngjashmëri me profilin e rehabilituar të Lanës) do të zgjatet deri në “Rrugën e Elbasanit”, për t'ju bashkëngjitur unazës së madhe të qytetit (ende të pandërtuar).
Interesante do të jetë brezi përgjatë lumit të Lanës, i cili, sipas parashikimeve, do të krijojë ishuj të gjelbër dhe sipërfaqe ujore në rrugëtimin e tij nga burimi i Lanës (në Lanabregas) deri në Bërxullë, aty ku derdhet.
Sipas urbanistëve, Lana mendohet t’i bashkohet autostradës deri në Rinas.
Linja të reja transporti
Plani rregullues përfshin edhe krijmin e dy linjave të rëndësishme të transportit që mendohet të përshkojnë bulevardin “Dëshmorët e Kombit” nga universiteti deri në lumin e Tiranës, aty ku do të ndërtohet një qendër e madhe polifunksionale.
Linja tjetër do të përshkojë të gjithë gjatësinë e Lanës në të dy krahët e saj.
Sipas Planit Rregullues, për herë të parë, në këto linja do të shfrytëzohet transporti me tramvaj që përveç domosdoshmërisë, ndoshta do t'u heqë mërzinë gjatë tjerrjes me furkë plakave të ulura në pragun e shtëpive që janë në zonat përreth.
Po të gjykosh nga efektet e tij të çuditshme, Plani i ri Rregullues i Tiranës nuk do të jetë veçse një lloj "reportazhi" i domosdoshëm racional dhe gjithëpërfshirës i asaj që mendohet të ndryshojë të ardhmen e kryeqytetit.



26/06/2005
KATEGORIA: Sociale

:cheers:

Talk about a masterplan;)

Some things worth noting:

- Tirana's main Boulevard is expected to double in size as it's not big already:D
Trams will pass through the boulevard according to the article.
- 2 big parks will be added to the city , Paskuqan Park and Farka Park.
- Highrises are expected to be built in the outskirts of the city thus not ruining the existing skyline already planned.

:cheers:

http://miqesia.dk/billeder/Tirana-0412-08.jpg

This apartment complex aside Tirana International Hotel is i believe finished.
I saw pictures of it in some site where it showed them painted in light blue or light green, i am not so sure.
The little old houses will be cleaned out and they will either built something else in there or just make it green.
I dont agree with them being built right next to Tirana International, that doesnt make sense in my opinion.

Nice looking 16 floor apartment building overlooking old commies:D

http://www.medialb.com/forumi/foto/54430_1.jpg

Another cool building, i posted this in another thread but not in such detail.

http://www.medialb.com/forumi/foto/45407_1.jpg

I really like how clean Lana looks:D

http://www.medialb.com/forumi/foto/45428_1.jpg

Italian architecture studio "Giorgio Cattani" who recently opened an office in Tirana to design an 8 level building by Dajti where Ropeway Station is located.
It will be painted in red:D

Villa Antonella, Tirana
The 18th of March was site-permission granted by the municipality for this residential and commercial building in the center of Tirana.


http://www.peterhallen.se/images/image_19_8.jpg

Quite an immpressive design again;)
No actual details on the project besides what is already written, hopefully it will get built:D

An interesting look at that spanish project back in 2004 who lost to the danish one

http://www.mateo-maparchitect.com/03_works/2000-2002/073/images/04.jpg

http://www.mateo-maparchitect.com/03_works/2000-2002/073/images/01.jpg

Illiricum, do you have any info on this new building?
It looks like it's easily over 20 levels high

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/ndertesa.jpg

^ Look at the traffic, LOL

How about the attrocious looking bank?:D
Let's hope the project that will replace this ugly building will be a special one;)

The Puppet Theatre is to become the Albanian Parliament

BY BEN ANDONI

The building of Albania’s first Parliament is to be returned to its original state, while the Puppet Theatre, housed in this building for years now, will be shifted to the International Centre of Culture. The Puppet Theatre currently occupies the premises of the old former building of the parliament. The Hoxha regime took the decision to hand the building over to the puppet theatre as a form of mocking the law-makers of the pre-communism period. Sulejman Dashi, one of the brains behind this project believes that the second variant of the first Albanian parliament building will be identical to the original. “We have the 1924 plans and will adhere to them and the “new” parliament building is expected to be completed within the 2006. What was it like? On 21 April 1921, the first sitting of the Albanian Parliament took place produced by the parliamentary elections of February-March 1921. It had 78 MPs belonging to two main political groupings: the People’s Party and the Progressive Party. An Austrian architect had designed the first Albanian Parliament Building-with a sixty seat capacity and it was built before Tirana was proclaimed capital. First of all it served as the Seat of the Armed Forces. This building has been proclaimed a Monument of Culture, being the first real urban object in the middle of Tirana. Its special feature was a concert hall, where Fan Noli played the violin and the flute and where other distinguished Albanian artists of the period performed such as Tefta Tashko Koço and others.”

The Puppet Theatre currently occupies the premises of the old former building of the parliament. The Hoxha regime took the decision to hand the building over to the puppet theatre as a form of mocking the law-makers of the pre-communism period

Do you think now that the Democrats won the elections, the Tirana Masterplan aproved last year will be heavily effected and maybe even abandoned all together?

Afterall they rejected the plan right away back then and in a very hostile way, so I doubt they will leave with it, now that they have the power. I'm affraid many other projects will be affected as well, and if Berisha got his way we might have new Municipality elections soon with Edi Rama barred to participate and a new a new apathic mayer being elected, someone like Brojka with no power or will to improve Tirana or her image.

Everything might happen. :bash:

I suppose you are talking about the Tirana Center Masterplan, right? The one by Architecture Studio?

If yes, then that won't be abandoned because this is an authority of local government and is not related to the central government. Berisha has promissed to push the decentralization reform and I am sure his team will do it. I don't like him, but he has a great team.

Of course Tirana is great... in pictures.

Edi Rama did not make to be a leader and limited himself to being a good manager for the municipality. Local elections will be next year and this discussion is to be held then and not now.

The socialist party isn't even a socialist party. It represents the interests of the richest in Albania, especially those enrichened illegally.

Yea Edi rama was elected in local election which Berisha does not have authority so he will be still the mayor of Tirana. And yes he won 70% of the votes and second time even more.

Other leaders compared to him would be useless especially from the Democratic Party.

This is not a politics thread so please concentrate on the projects

Me teper info rreth godines se re te Parlamentit, sot Teatri i Kukullave:

E Enjte, 15 Korrik 2004

Nje nder godinat me te rendesishme te historise se Shtetit Shqiptar, ish Parlamenti i viteve 1921- 1944 dhe qe prej shume kohesh Tetatri i Kukullave ne Tirane, rrezikon te humbase krejtesisht identitetin e tij. Ne nje kompleks qe po synon qe t'i riktheje Tiranes shkelqimin e projekteve te arkitektit te famshem Brasini dhe te ruaje objektet e rendesishme te se shkuares, Teatri aktual i Kukullave po merr gjithnje e me shume pamjen e nje prej kioskave qe okupuan qendren e Kryeqytetit ne fillim te viteve '90-te. Qe prej me shume se 11 muajsh, pothuajse te gjitha punet per restaurimin e tij po shnderrohen thjeshte ne llustrime, por asnje prej tyre ne restaurim serioz dhe sipas parametrave qe meriton. Godina qe dikur i jepte shkelqim gjithe qendres se qytetit, tashme ngjan si nje lloj prej atyre ndertimeve kubike me suva te trashe dhe e rrethuar nga te gjitha anet prej pjeseve qe funksinojne si sherbime pa asnje lidhje me ate primarin.

Po sa e rendesishme eshte kjo godine dhe pse Ministria e Kultures duhet nte nderhyje urgjent per shpetimin e fizionomise se saj? Godina e vogel ne qender te Tiranes, e njohur prej vitesh si Teatri i Kukullave, eshte godina e pare e ndertuar me fonde publike ne Shqiperi. Ajo eshte ne nje fare menyre, vepra e pare e Shtetit te Pavarur Shqiptar. Themelet e saj jane hedhur ne vitin 1917 nga ushtria austro- hungareze, duke synuar ndertimin e nje spitali publik i cili do te perforconte ate prane Sahatit, ne nje vit te renduar nga epidemia e Murtajes. Spitali nuk u ngrit kurre dhe Qeveria e dale nga Kongresi i Lushnjes, vendosi te ngreje aty Shtepine e Oficereve. Me sa duket, projekti nderroi rruges dhe pak kohe me pas, ajo u be godina e pare e Parlamentit Shqiptar. Nje godine e ngritur me kete funksion dhe qe u be per shume vite arene e debateve parlamentare te fazes se pare dhe te hershme te pluralizmit shqiptar. Nje deshmi e trashegimise sone historike, e oratorise se Nolit, Delvines, Zogut, Vrionit, Gurakuqit, Vlores dhe shume personaliteteve te tjere, qe jane ne nje lloj menyre baballaret e parlamentarizmit shqiptar.

Llogjika me normale dhe me e thjeshte do te ishte qe kjo godine te shndrohej ne nje lloj muzeu te Parlamentarizmit Shqiptar te viteve '20-te; fare mire ajo mund te shnderrohej ne nje muze te munguar te qytetit te Tiranes dhe zhvillimit te tij. Duke qene nje nder godinat historike me te rendesishme ne qytet, per te mos thene me e rendesishmja, ajo e meriton nje destinacion te tille. Por sido qe te te jete, godina duhet restauruar me parametrat e kohes, ajo duhet te marre fizionomine dhe shkelqimin qe ka pasur dhe jo llustren false te kisokave te viteve '90- te.

korrieri

One thing i've noticed with certain buildings is that they take forever to finish.
The further building you see on this pic was built in 2002 and it amazes me that they still havent finished it as illustrates in this 2005 photo.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/proj.jpg

I remember it being like this in 2002, the only difference i see is the color they have added but the building itself doesnt seem to be finished.

Kamza Regency Plaza & Residence

http://www.gardencity-al.com/images/Mall1.jpg
http://www.gardencity-al.com/images/f8.jpg
http://www.gardencity-al.com/images/f9.jpg

This enormous shopping and leisure complex, which will occupy 30,000 sq meters will be the largest center of its kind in Albania, bringing a new approach to shopping habits and leisure activities of the local population. The Plaza will be a combination of a fully facilitated mega shopping mall with a down scale covered market area and supported by onsite leisure facilities.

It will cater to the population of both Tirana and Kamza as it is located at the junction of these districts. For Tirana, the Plaza provides an alternative source from the congestion of the city center and for Kamza, it is a closer source for shopping and leisure.

The five 12-storey towers erected behind the complex will serve as an extension to the commercial space offered at the site. It will occupied by service apartments and business offices of the shops in the complex. The covered parking at the base of the tower will contribute to the parking space needed for the shoppers of the Plaza.

This will be built in Kamez?
Wow, totally surprised.
I guess they are serious on developing Kamez, eh!;)
I know they built a great soccer facility there a few months back and our NT trains there but this is a nice project for sure.
Thanks kosova_kastrioti

I cannot see the pics and the Garden City website seems to be down. Anyways the Garden City complex features Garden Home, made up of 31 appartment blocks of 5 floors for a total of 760 appartments with each apartment being around 90m2. I posted a photo and a render of Garden Home in Tirana Pictures thread.

I checked their site and it mentions a cultural center but it gives a picture of Skenderbeu Statue
What is it about?

I also noticed another project (supposedly) of 4 clock towers (2 pairs linked by an arch)
That seemed quite interesting.

what about regency towers :
This 7 tower landmark, which will consist of 16, 14 and 12 storey structures, is designed for the upscale demanded for service and residential apartments. the towers are also targeted for businesses looking to convert the space for commercial pursuits

Here is what it says about that cultural center:

This grand cultural centre will be the site of all international and local exhibitions and conferences in Albania. State-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, a seating capacity of 1000, a design that combines a traditional layout with modern technology, the centre will be more than capable to host events of international standards.

interesting hopefully it manages to be built , ive sent an email to see if they have a completion date for the regency plaza

what about regency towers :
This 7 tower landmark, which will consist of 16, 14 and 12 storey structures, is designed for the upscale demanded for service and residential apartments. the towers are also targeted for businesses looking to convert the space for commercial pursuits

Yes, of course.
That's a nice project as well :) although there's no rendering for it :bash:

This is what i got from the logo that caught my attention

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/clock-t.bmp

i think thats the entrance to garden city

this is the reply i got from garden city:
Dear Sir,
please accept our kind greetings,
above you will find the required information:

Regency Plaza & Residence

The 3-storey, 33.600 m2 shopping and leisure complex will be the largest centre
of its kind in Albania, projected to be the entertaining centre of the
capital.
The construction works of the shopping mall will be concluded within three
construction works phases.
The construction works has begun on the first phase of a 3-storey shopping mall
since January 2004, with the projected completion by August 2007.
The first phase will encompasses around 72 shops with three layout types: A – 30
m2, B – 33m2, C – 54.8 m2 ( we are sorry because it was not possible to attach
the respective technical layout plans).

The shopping mall is under the booking phase.

The Regency Residence will be an extension of Regency Plaza and will serve as
complementary with Luxury offices, Apartments & Covered Parking Space.
The Regency Residence are not under the sale or booking process.

Attached you will find materials that contain information to orientate you about
the layout plan of the shopping mall
We would kindly suggest you to visit us at Garden City complex, so we may give
you a detailed information about Regency Plaza & Residence.

Thanks for the information you provided kosova_kastrioti

I read a while back in Korrieri they are planning on building a 3 highrise project by "Gropa e Hajdinit"
Any truth to this?

A great contemporary architectual building of 9 levels to replace old Millenium Cinema in Kavaja st. close to the turkish embassy

^Yes indeed. And it will have a bigger film theatre then Millenium 1 was.

I guess it would be nice to inform you that construction for the danish project started yesterday!

Very well
Construction on the belgium project started 4 days ago also according to Gazeta Shqiptare
Here is the rendering of the building we are talking about, it's a bit small and in black and white;)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/faqe25.jpg

Very Nice!

I thought the project would be very long-term and on paper as they are always in albania.

Its good to know the construction for the project have started.

Just spoke to my brother a few minutes ago and he told me the same thing;)
Also, he told me they are planning a major renovation on Tirana's big park by Tirana Lake.
They will renovate the pavements for pedestrians, construct new pavements in remote areas and so on....
As a matter of fact my brother knows the guy who is working on this project, some dude named Andi Kercini a young architect of urban planning.

http://p.vtourist.com/1/1925471-The_park_around_the_lake_of_Tirana.jpg

A sketch design for Qemal Stafa stadium in Tirana
We badly need a new modern football stadium and i think we should just tear down the existing stadium and built the new one in the same place

http://www.mainardi.info/studio/04-ap-immag-1/tirana.JPG

Good for Tirana to be building all those nice projects. Just hopefully one day other cities in Albania would be getting as much attention. :(

Mimica

Other cities will copy from Tirana. Its a matter of time...

Mimica

Other cities will copy from Tirana. Its a matter of time...


I understand what your saying, it is a matter of time. The only question now is, how much time.
It's great that Tirana is advancing from it's former past, but it takes MUCH longer time than that for the other cities to follow. I'm not talking about some projects here, or some news there.
Whenever I search things over the Google on Tirana, they always come from Tirana. All the things I read from there are from Tirana, Tirana, Tirana.
Nothing against you people or anything, since that's the last thing I'd like to do/say, but making other cities in Albania noticed, or fixing up northern Albania will take a LONG time.

I understand what your saying, it is a matter of time. The only question now is, how much time.
It's great that Tirana is advancing from it's former past, but it takes MUCH longer time than that for the other cities to follow. I'm not talking about some projects here, or some news there.
Whenever I search things over the Google on Tirana, they always come from Tirana. All the things I read from there are from Tirana, Tirana, Tirana.
Nothing against you people or anything, since that's the last thing I'd like to do/say, but making other cities in Albania noticed, or fixing up northern Albania will take a LONG time.

I'd have to disagree with you in some points here Mimica. Durresi has copied the style of Tirana, and is on the way to being a nice city with all the commodities you would find in a city. Saranda & Vlora two twin cities also has copied the style and are on their way to being local tourist cities.

I agree with you about the situation in the North, it is bad but the South&Centre has had a tradition into being not only traditional cities but also development centers in Balkans. They did not just pop-up as new cities.

For example Voskopoja at one time used to be bigger than Athens before it got ruined. And Shkodra/Scutari not many years ago used to be a big center in Balkans.

If you search in google "a certain thing" it will give you that "certain thing".
Try searching Sarajevo... :)

On my point of view Tirana is livable. Durres follows. Then Vlora. Then everything else is... well I am not saying it.

I'd have to disagree with you in some points here Mimica. Durresi has copied the style of Tirana, and is on the way to being a nice city with all the commodities you would find in a city. Saranda & Vlora two twin cities also has copied the style and are on their way to being local tourist cities.

I agree with you about the situation in the North, it is bad but the South&Centre has had a tradition into being not only traditional cities but also development centers in Balkans. They did not just pop-up as new cities.

For example Voskopoja at one time used to be bigger than Athens before it got ruined. And Shkodra/Scutari not many years ago used to be a big center in Balkans.

If you search in google "a certain thing" it will give you that "certain thing".
Try searching Sarajevo... :)

I guess we have different point of views. There is nothing wrong with that. :)
Sorry for interupting this thread, and please ignore more comments if you disagree with them.
Thank you.

I guess we have different point of views. There is nothing wrong with that.
Sorry for interupting this thread, and please ignore more comments if you disagree with them.
Thank you.

No problem bro, we are just discussing... :)

the reason northern albania was neglected was because the politicians always forgot about it. they helped the south but forgot about the north. now that democratic party won the opposite is going to happen the north will start to develop and they'll forget about the south. i hate it. they never help the country as a whole. shkoder can be a great tourist destenation so can lezhe. both two of the oldest cites in europe. the only cities that can compare in terms of time to albanian cities is greek cities and maybe even italian. shkoder was the capital of the illyrian kingdom about 4th century BC. in shkoder and lezhe they need to pave the roads give water and electricity 24/7. that's all i want. no fancy stuff. but government can't even do that. they have the money but they send it to useless things.

Dont forget that Shkoder was the most important city in the whole Balkans during Ottoman days, it had the largest market in the Balkans and was the capital of albanians in a way.
Tirana does get recognition for being the capital but we have 2 major port cities of Durres and Vlora.
I've showed pictures here and it's pretty clear these both cities are booming;)
If the new government can pour some investments in Shkoder then Albania would have 4 major cities.

Saranda is the most expensive city to live in Albania from what i heard.
This city will be spectacular in the next 5-10 years;)

Any news on National Bank project?
I hope they just destroy that ugly building and built a new modern bank instead.
I would hate it if they simply renovated it!

the governemtn is dumb instead of spending money for all the fancy stuff they build on two or three cities they should pave the roads of all cities and give water and electricity for all the cities and towns. then do the fancy stuff. it would make all albanians happy to live in albania not just in tirane. they have the money, both governments are too dumb and corrupt to know how to spend it.

The government has nothing to do with these projects.
They are approved by City Hall and financed by local investors.

city hall then should fix up tirane, all of it then do this stuff.

... in shkoder and lezhe they need to pave the roads give water and electricity 24/7. that's all i want. no fancy stuff. ...

That will never happen, unless Shkodrans start paying for the water and electricity they consume.

Don't tell me that you don't know that in 10 - 15 years they haven't paid more then 20% of what they've consumed. Lack of continuous 24/7 supply is no justification for not paying what you actually get.

i know that but it's a vicious cycle. few people didn't pay so government took electrecity out for everybody then everybody stopped paying. they said why pay when government doesn't give us shit. this was since berisha time. this is what they get. they get water and electrecity for about 10 hours a day. mostly during the night and early morning. thats it. why should they pay when the government doens't do shit for them. in tropoje for example they had electricity for 20 hours a day cause 90 percent payed the bill. then government started taking electricity out for everyone. so everyone basically stopped paying only few payed. now they have these insturnments in everybody's homes to see how much electrecity you consume and you pay for what you use. still doesn't make the lights come on at times when they're needed.

i hope in the near future shkoder is fixed up. then we can have tirane, durres, vlore and shkoder as four major cities. then build a wide highway and a railway connecting them all. i can see it happenning.

Under construction a 15.000 m² hospital in Tirana consisting of 250 rooms, 6 operating rooms .....
I dont believe this to be the University Hospital

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/tir-spitali1.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/tir-spitali2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/tir-spitali3.jpg

Found this sketch through google
It could be anything

http://www.solitarytrees.net/racism/external/bulgrav7.gif

what the heck 'ABI' i think it's a joke cause ABI is an albanian gang in NYC.

Ja rrugët që presin fadromat e punimeve

Bulevardet kryesore të Tiranës kanë merituar vëmendjen e Bashkisë së Tiranës, e cila i ka shenjuar në projektet e këtij viti për rikonstruksion. Por që megjithatë nuk janë lançuar ende si akse ku kanë nisur punimet në morinë e nismave të deklaruara nga Bashkia për një muaj të tërë.

Bulevardet
Kështu parashikohet të përfundojë në prill të vitit të ardhshëm rikonstruksioni i Bulevardit "Dëshmorët e Kombit". Punimet, që s'kanë nisur ende, i ka marrë përsipër firma "Euroteorema". Pas punimeve të pritshme shoferët do të shpëtojnë një herë e mirë nga gropat që bëhen të ndjeshme sidomos gjatë ditëve me shi. Rruga pranë Pallatit të Kongreseve, në anë të bulevardit, është gjithashtu në pritje të punimeve të planifikuara. Siç është parashikuar në projektin e Bashkisë rikonstruksioni i saj, i marrë përsipër nga firma "Siba", do të përfundojë në tetor të këtij viti. Paralelisht janë lajmëruar punime të tjera në bulevardin tjetër në vazhdim të "Dëshmorëve…". Brenda këtij viti janë planifikuar të përfundojnë punimet për një shtesë në bulevardin "Zogu i Parë", që tashmë është veshur i gjithi me pllakëza të kuqe. Dhe, meqë jemi te bulevardet e kryeqytetit, të tilla siç janë ndërtuar, pa asfalt, do të meritojnë më shumë fonde për rikonstruksione, sipas një vëzhgimi të arkitektëve italianë për bulevardet e Romës të ndërtuara në mënyrë të ngjashme. Për të cilët është sugjeruar një veshje me asfalt në vend të pllakëzave.

Të tjera
Por nuk përfundojnë këtu rrugët që presin fadromat e rikonstruksionit. Do të nisin punimet në rrugën "4 shkurti" nga ura mbi Lanë deri te Garda, punime që do të përfundojnë më 13 mars të vitit të ardhshëm. Janë parashikuar dhe ndërhyrje në dy akse të Unazës së Vogël, segmenti nga Rruga e Kavajës deri te rruga "Punëtorët e Rilindjes" dhe segmenti nga rruga "Punëtorët e Rilindjes" te Rruga e Dibrës. Por për të mos mbetur vetëm me rrugët ku shkelin automjetet. Në projektet për infrastrukturën e kryeqytetit gjatë këtij viti janë parashikuar dhe ndërhyrjet për zgjerimin e sipërfaqeve në varrezat e Sharrës. Mungesa e vendeve në varreza është cilësuar problematike sidomos gjatë viteve të fundit dhe zgjerimi i sipërfaqes së tyre është faza e dytë e projektit, marrë përsipër nga firma "Shqiponja". Për 2005-ën janë planifikuar nga Bashkia e Tiranës ndërhyrje në 16 rrugë dhe 6 blloqe banimi, kostoja financiare e të cilave është llogaritur 1 miliard e 747 milionë lekë, që të gjitha nga buxheti i institucionit. Infrastruktura rrugore ka tërhequr pothuaj 20 për qind të buxhetit të Bashkisë në total, përafërsisht 2 miliardë nga 9 miliardë që janë paratë e një viti në institucionin që qeveris kryeqytetin.


Projektet për 2005
* Rikonstruksion i rrugës "4 Shkurti" nga ura mbi Lanë deri te Garda 13 mars 2006 (Salillari)
* Rikonstruksion i bulevardit "Dëshmorët e Kombit" 13.04.2006 (Euroteorema)
* Rikonstruksion i rrugës pranë Pallatit të Kongreseve 13.10.2005 (Siba)
* Shtesa Bulevardi Zogu i Parë 8.07.2005 (Euroteorema)
* Zgjerim i sipërfaqes Varrezat Sharrë, faza e dytë 20.08.2005 (Shqiponja)
* 13. Rikonstruksion dhe zgjerim i Unazës së Vogël, seg. Rruga e Kavajës-Rruga Punëtorët e Rilindjes Prokurim (Prokurim)
* 14. Rikonstruksion dhe zgjerim i Unazës së Vogël (seg. Rruga Punëtorët e Rilindjes-Rruga e Dibrës) (Prokurim).

:cheers:

Found this sketch through google
It could be anything

http://www.solitarytrees.net/racism/external/bulgrav7.gif

Well the location shown is the hole left by Hajdin Seidia's (in)famous Sheraton Hotel venture long, long ago.

Does anybody have any photos of the latest project.

All of this project that have been approved in paper, have they started construction? Any photos from june/july 2005?? In Internet the latest i can find is last year.

Goddamn it! Ramism is nice on old commies, ok I give you that! Almost ALL NEW CONSTRUCTONS in Tirana have copied that ugly schizophrenic way of doing: Build an ugly commie and paint it over to hide it! The city will have to be redone in less then 10 year. Hopefully when an urbanist will get the mayor chair.

As long as Shkodra and all the north for that matter, all southerners have always enjoyed much more of public investments then the north ever had. So pease all shut up. Enver Hoxha did not give a shit on the north. Not to mention the last 8 years of constant dicsrimination in public investments and budget allocations.

BTW the Dajti Ropeway is to start operations in July 28th.

Rama has started killing dogs again. After none is giving him money to express his scizophrenia in painting buildings he started to kill the dogs again. Drunk bandits come armed in the neighbourhoods by midnight and massively kill dogs while they are sleeping. In the mean time they have some beers and get paid by the most disgusting, hairy and stinky of all creatures. Although he can build animal shelters, he feels better doing this.

While Rama sponsored criminals were having fun killing dogs yesterday night, all the dogs that make Albania one of the most corrupted countries in the world were either in night culbs or in vacations over the mediterranian. I hope someone will shoot them some time.

:nuts:

Does anybody have any photos of the latest project.

All of this project that have been approved in paper, have they started construction? Any photos from june/july 2005?? In Internet the latest i can find is last year.


What is the point of this thread when you dont take the time to read it :bash:

What is the point of this thread when you dont take the time to read it

Most of the project here are imagenary pictures. I mean i know we have good artist but i want to see some real things. Some real photo of construction for all this paper shit. And not for 2004 is that the latest we can be updated in Albania in internet? Any current news ? Summer 2005??

You have not read this thread through.
Nothing is imaginary, everything you see is a project for the city with the exception of the last sketch.
The rest are all real projects in the works.
Construction on the two 25 level buildings started about a week ago.
There is another over 20 level building being constructed by the stadium as we speak, i posted a pic of it.
Also, you have a new hospital being constructed and i showed pics of that as well.
Work on that 9 level building replacing Millenium Cinema started as well, that's expected to be a great looking contemporary building for the city.
You have the QTU mall that will open in September.
You have the residency in Kamez.
This is pretty much all we can come up with at the moment.
More projects will be shown in the future although it's hard to bring pics in here since i myself dont live in the city.

I read this interesting article a few days ago and it mentioned the real reason why they dont want to built anything higher than 25 levels around Skenderbeu Square.
They block the view of Mount Dajti
You can see Dajti Mountain from Skenderbeu Square obviously but if you built tall highrises around it that would block the view.

QTU to open in another month
According to Shekulli, some famous brand companies will place their businesses in this mall such as Mango, Terranova, Okaidi, Golden Point

Dajti Ropeway to start operations tomorrow. Too bad I am in Pristina and I won't try it ;)

Well, let's have a look at Skenderbeu Square once again.
Like it was previously mentioned, 10 highrises to be built around it (2 have been approved and work has started on both;))
They will all be built paralel to eachother 5-5

http://www.forumi.zeriyt.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=cd4971f2b4ba4cc9cd32833b9f2faa3c&action=dlattach;topic=1328.0;id=2166;image

One of the highrises to be built behind the National Bank, 2 behind Opera Theater, another one next to the belgian building .......

I hope they dont renovate National Museum Building or just add an extension to it like they talked about :bash:
I want to see a whole new Modern Building there along with National Bank and Opera building.
I would be extremely dissapointed if this were not to happen.

When the whole project is completed, it will look really nice. :speech:

Well, it is like building up a dream. Let's not forget that the projects approved are absolutely designed by well known proffessionals. They have to be unique and to hold architectural values that don't go lost in time. When all of this is over, it will an absolute beauty.

That museum thing. Well it will look great. I am sure the international evaluation team working in approving the projects will do a great job and I have total confidence in them also beacause their reputation precedes them.

But it is not just the city center. The whole thing is being literally rebuilt or restored. The streets are all being worked on. May them be primary, secondary or small ones inside neighbourhoods.

When all of this is over, it will an absolute beauty.



For sure;)
Another different look at the square once again.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/skica3.jpg

In the left you have the museum.
In this rendering from Architecture Studio they are planning on adding an extension to the existing building wich i strongly object to.
The circled building far right is that apartment complex painted in brown.
It needs to go down immidiately.
It gives such an ugly scenery to the mosque and clock tower.
Also with the construction of the 2 new highrises it wont look good there at all.
I think that idiot Brokaj (former mayor) approved the construction of this ugly building so close to the square.
It's going to be very interesting how the projects will stand next to each other.
I cant wait;)

Opening of QTU (Shopping Center Univers) has been delayed for October. Work on the warehouse and the cold room storagge for the Euromax Hypermarket, the biggest tenant, is way behind schedule.

Altin, there is an Orthodox church being built in Tirana, between the Socialist Party headquaters and the Ministry of Defense. Can you take pics of the place or the project displayed outside the construction site while you are in Tirana? :D You shouldn't have told us you were going to Tirana :)

The building in front of the National Bank... I hope they make a good project out of it.

^ Wasn't there a PARK? What's up with a curch being build there?

Don't hold your breath for pictures, I don't feal confortable doing that in Tirana. ;)

A church?
I thought the new Parliament was going to be built in that area, no?
They were planning on closing that side road so cars dont pass by and the extension would be some sort of a park.
Now i am really confused! :bash:

No big deal about QTU
What i was thinking today was that since that dutch project is not a highrise then there must be more similar projects for the future?
And why are they taking so long with the rest of the highrises?
They dont have investors or something?

According to Gazeta Shqiptare 400 new apartment buildings approved in a 3 month period to be constructed in Tirane-Durres area.
That's quite an impressive number;)

^ Wasn't there a PARK? What's up with a curch being build there?


Yep but the land was bought long ago by the Albanian Orthodox church and it was taken away by the communists. After the building of Saint Paul church, the construction of the Orthodox church began. I remmber the project looked very impressive. It was a mix of typical byzantine style and modern architecture. I personally think it will add a lot to the city achitecturally speaking. The rendering of the project displayed outside the construction site was really good. I don't remember if works still continiue or not anyways.

The muslim community also wants to built a mosque in Tirana. They wanted to built it in the park near the parliament building. Due to the fact that the park there is part of the "Tirana Grand Park" project within the french project of for the center of the city they proposal was rejected. Nevertheless also the design they proposed was not appropriate and other alternatives were asked to be worked on by the Cults' Committee of Albania and the Muslim community. Even on the first project the muslim community was devided between those who wanted it in the parliament park (in Elbasani Street) and those who were seeking other alternatives in location and design to fit Tirana's ambitions in architecture. Once they make a new proposal it will be reviewed.

For the outstanding constructive role the religions have played in Albania they deserve to have decent places of worship of which they can go proud of. They also are the biggest land owners community (altogether) and despite that they have agreed in not building places of worship all over Tirana. Many of the lands owned by them were basically given as a gift to the municipality.

Anyways, the Orthodox church will indeed be in the park and another nice landmark will be added to Tirana for sure. Let's hope they bring down those ugly buildings where the Socialist Party, the Social-democrats and other small party have their headquaters cause they are totally unappropriate in that location.

A church?
I thought the new Parliament was going to be built in that area, no?
They were planning on closing that side road so cars dont pass by and the extension would be some sort of a park.
Now i am really confused!

The church is also placed in the French project maket, in the last picture that you posted it clearly visible. From the rendering I saw I am sure it will be a great landmark.

According to Gazeta Shqiptare 400 new apartment buildings approved in a 3 month period to be constructed in Tirane-Durres area.
That's quite an impressive number;)

And also from "Gazeta Shqiptare" three new public Universities will open their doors this year in Fier, Berat and Durres. The courses offered were projected to be specific to the needs of the cities and the country. In Durres and Berat turims and agroculture will be the main profile of the courses offered and in Fier priority was given to oil engineering and natural gas. Public administration courses are to be offered in all of the three along with other things as well.

What kind of universities will they be if they are in such small towns? Most western countries have one university for every 250,000-500,000 people.

that is not true. no country has universities for 250,000-500,000 people. in manhattan there is one unversity for basically every 50 thousand people. the universities being buit in albania are to serve not just those towns but the villages sorrounding them.

You wanna fight?! Look at any highly developed part of north America, for example California or Ontario. Ontario has 12 million people, and 20 universities. That's 1 university for 600,000 people. If you count community colleges then it has twice as much, but that still is only 1 for 300,000. California has about a hundred universities and community colleges, and around 35 million people (not counting millions of illegal Mexicans). That's one university per 350,000 people, and California is the most industrialized and high-tech region in the world. So no Albania doesn't need tha tmany universities, unless they are just different campuses for the same university.

Poonman

do the statistics.

Albania has 3.6 million people. Divide this by 350 000(even if u divide by 600 000 you still get 6 universities) and you will get how many universities Albania need.

The answer is 10. We only have 3-4 universities. SO we definately need 2 more for now.

we already got more than 3-4. we have already like 10. and poonman what's your problem buddy. nobody is afraid of you alrite. do you go around asking people? you wanna fight? and who are you to say how many universities albania needs. we'll build how many we want want. please go away and don't come back to this thread cause i know it will get ruined if you do.

You are really asking for me to put the beat down on you. Albania can't build as many universities as they want, otherwise their post-secondary educational system will not be taken seriously.

let the government worry about that.

poonman i think you really are schizophrenic. you are acting like someone wnats to fight with you. and agains who are you to say how many universities albania has. do you have a problem with albania building universities. now like i said before please leave. is the admin sleeping.

You are really asking for me to put the beat down on you. Albania can't build as many universities as they want, otherwise their post-secondary educational system will not be taken seriously.


Leave this thread alone. This thread has already had enough of you. Unless your willing to post something productive, or atleast post comments that aren't so rude, then leave.

Although it's cool they are opening 3 new universities in 3 different cities that kind of doesnt matter in this thread since we are talking about Tirana.
Now, this is the building i have been talking about for almost 2 weeks now.

http://www.united-albania.com/images/zoom/Tirana/tirana-albania-guide1-01.jpg

That looks like 23 levels to me;)

What is this building?
Are there any renderings of the building when completed?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v305/TimurTaljanovic/zgradaiztirane.jpg

Talking about universities, i am surprised with these 3 new universities Albania will have a total of 18 which is quite a lot IMO.
Tirana has about 10 i think and the other 8 are in 8 different cities.;)

University of Gjirokaster
University of Shkoder
University of Vlora
University of Korça
University of Elbasan
University of Fier
University of Berat
University of Durrës

What is this building?
Are there any renderings of the building when completed?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v305/TimurTaljanovic/zgradaiztirane.jpg

That's a new building being constructed and i've been talking about it for 2 weeks.
I have no idea how it'll look but it looks like a residential/business type of building.

Some new constructions

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/15010462_324F6C6B51343919CDB6F68B0A.jpg

Anybody know which part of the city this is taken from?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/football9/50594-And-this-is-the-bus-stop-0.jpg

That's a new building being constructed and i've been talking about it for 2 weeks.
I have no idea how it'll look but it looks like a residential/business type of building.


I just find it interesting that such a large project hasn't got much news. :dunno: Sorry to bother you...

What kind of universities will they be if they are in such small towns? Most western countries have one university for every 250,000-500,000 people.

Tirana universities are overcrowded. The country needs specialists in different priority areas. The regional development strategy includes capacity building at local level. Without opening new universities and with overcrowded Tirana universities the quality of higher education keeps getting lower. Opening of these universities was done in consultancy with the Council of Europe and EU directives for Albania. In order to follow on the Bologna process, which is the process of increasing the quality Albania post secondary education, and integrate it in EU educational system, one of the main directives was to increase the number of universties.

Anyways, there are two public universities in Tirana that I know. Tirana University and Kamza University. The later is specialized in agricultural studies and related fields. They have their respective faculties which are many and crowded.

I just find it interesting that such a large project hasn't got much news. Sorry to bother you...

It's an interesting project and just like many projects in the city this one remains an enigma for the moment.
I wrote a few posts above that in Tirane-Durres area in the 3 months (May-June-July) there have been 400 apartment buildings approved to be constructed.
That's a pretty huge number for a 3 month period and i have no clue of a single one of the buildings where they will be built, what they'l look like ..etc.
We need to get a closer look at this project and see more of it.

^Tirana-Durres metropoly :) we got that from the new Pope :D

And yes that project is a mystery :D

I think like most such projects it must have like a big poster where it shows the rendering of the building.
We need some ground level assistance here:D

I think like most such projects it must have like a big poster where it shows the rendering of the building.
We need some ground level assistance here:D

Altin...?? :D:D:D

the 400 apartment buildings being built on the outskirts of tirana is to help deal with the increase in population of tirana. many immigrants have started coming there plus many albanians have started movin back to albania from countries such as greece and also just regular population growth. the apartments are purposely being buil on the outskirt to help push tiranas area.

I just looked at a rendering pic of the masterplan and i see the area by the Train Station will look like this:

http://www.tirana.gov.al/common/images/pjese%20nga%20plano%20francez.jpg

The second pic on the right it looks amazing.
Is that the boulevard extending?
I find that particular pic a bit confusing!

Thanks to e_tirona for providing us with this pic i want to note that the new Parlament will replace the building in red in this photo

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/lirdimexhitaj/DSC01586.jpg

TIRANE (9 Gusht) -Sot nisen punimet per rikonstruksionin e bulevardit "Deshmoret e Kombit", i ndertuar 30 vjet me pare nga projektuesit italiane. Perdorimi i tij per parada ushtarake si dhe fluksi i madh i automjeteve qe qarkullojne ne kryeqytet kane shkaktuar demtimin e tij. Sipas planit urbanistik te qendres se Tiranes, hartuar nga studio franceze eshte parashikuar ndertimi i nje brezi ne mes te bulevardit per kalimin e tramvait, por ne fazen e pare te zbatimit te projektit ky brez do te perdoret si lulishte dekorative. Gjate punimeve do te nderhyhet edhe ne rrjetin e ujesjellesit qe kalon pergjate bulevardit, per shkak te amortizimit te tij. Sic behet e ditur, rruga do te ruaje gjeresine ekzistuese prej 26.5 m, ndersa per restaurimin e trotuareve do te perdoren gure vullkanike. Ne nisjen e punimeve per rehabilitimin e bulevardit "Deshmoret e Kombit" ishte i pranishem edhe kreu i bashkise se Tiranes Edi Rama, i cili u shpreh per gazetaret se cdo nderhyrje ne rruge dhe trotuare normalisht do te shoqerohet me sakrificen e te gjitheve, cka do te thote se natyrisht do te kete probleme ne qarkullimin e automjeteve pergjate ketij bulevardi. em/em(/BalkanWeb)

http://www.lsaphoto.com/thumbs/20050809092116_09080508.jpg

Construction on the Renovation of Tirana's Main Boulevard started today, good news.
Trams will pass through the boulevard but for the moment they'll just leave it as green space till they get the tram project ready which i assume would start when the Train Station Project falls into place:cheers:

Yeah, Tirana needs trams badly, and its good they are adding them. :D It will ease up the traffic a bit. Maybe they will also lessen the minivans ;)

The trams will pass across from the University to the Center and then all the way to the Train Station. Another tram line will be built along the two sides of the Lana river. :okay:

wow tirana is booming big time.

Ok, with they pass through the Ministry Buildings and then Skenderbeu Square or will there be a different route?

do you have a map of the route of the tram and metro. and when will it be in service.

Nope
Like i said, i think they will present the tram project along with the Train Station one

how many lines will there be for both the tram and train. the train is undeground metro right? and how many stations wil there be. any idea of the lines distance stuff like that. any info would be helpful thanks.

Ok, with they pass through the Ministry Buildings and then Skenderbeu Square or will there be a different route?
It isn't certain yet, but I'm assuming they will pass through the main street between the Ministry Buildings, because its really wide. Also check a couple of pics below.
According to the alpha pics of the French project it will pass through the buildings. See the trams in the pics below:

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/2379/center17xe.jpg

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/2361/center28wv.jpg



@lakerdar: No specific details have been released regarding the trams and the train station. BUT at the official Tirana website there are these pics:

The tram passage way at the University area:

http://www.tirana.gov.al/common/images/sheshi%20nene-tereza2.jpg

And the train station:

http://www.tirana.gov.al/common/images/stacioni%20i%20trenit3.jpg

http://www.tirana.gov.al/common/images/stacioni%20i%20trenit.jpg



Most info is uncertain, but its sure that the trams WILL be built in the near future. :)


EDIT: The last pic was labeled to be a project of the train station but I dont understand the skyscrapers on the sides and the tram lines in the middle :?
Was it mislabeled?

nicely done. :)

i really like the plan that tirana has for skenderbeu square. it'll be the an extremely modern area when completed. :yes:

:cheers1:

Absolutely Mimica
It will be interesting however to see what they will do with the square itself.
Will they get rid of the fountain and make it just a plain open square?

@genci88
Very nice demonstration

I had no clue the Boulevard was 26.5 m wide :runaway:

______________________________________________________________

Një brez dhe dy vija kalimi për tramvaj mu në mes të bulevardit "Dëshmorët e Kombit" parashikon plani francez për qendrën e Tiranës. Por që megjithatë në përfundim të punimeve të nisura dje, ky brez do të jetë për ca kohë një lulishte dekorative.

Historia
Rikonstruksioni që zbriti dje në bulevardin "Dëshmorët e Kombit" është krejt unik nga gjithë ç'është lançuar kohët e fundit për infrastrukturën rrugore nga Bashkia e Tiranës. I cilësuar nga vetë kryebashkiaku Rama si "kthim në identitet" ndërhyrjet me vlerë rreth 1 miliardë (të vjetra) do të kenë në themel të tyre një punë artizanale që në përfundim do të dhurojë një cilësi të ngjashme me atë të përfituar sot në Bulevardin "Zogu i Parë". Bulevardi "Dëshmorët e Kombit" është ndërtuar pas viteve 1930, në një zonë relativisht të pabanuar. Projektuesit italianë kanë menduar atëkohë t'i japin atij me anë të gjerësisë së madhe, një karakter madhështor. Objektet kryesore në fillimet e tij kanë qenë, kompleksi i Ministrive, Hotel "Dajti", ura mbi Lanë duke përfunduar me kompleksin universitar dhe Akademinë e Arteve.

Si do të jetëGjatësia e rrugës që trajtohet është 816 metra linearë. Rruga do të ruajë gjerësinë ekzistuese prej 26.5 metrash. Rikonstruksioni do të realizohet me dy vija kaluese të kundërta të trafikut, secila me tre kalime, të cilat ndahen ndërmjet tyre me një ishull 6.5 m të gjerë, me gjelbërim të ulët, i kufizuar me parapet betoni. Gjerësia e trotuarëve në të dy anët e bulevardit është 7.25 m. Trotuarët do të trajtohen me gurë vullkanikë. Rrjeti i kanalizimeve të ujërave të zeza ka nevojë vetëm për pastrim. Ndërsa rrjeti i vjetër i Ujësjellësit do të dalë jashtë përdorimit. "Pavarësisht se gjatë gjithë këtyre viteve Bashkia është treguar nga kritikët e saj e interesuar vetëm për qendrën dhe jo për periferinë, shifrat tregojnë krejt të kundërtën, që investimet në periferi gjithmonë janë më të mëdha se ato në qendër", u shpreh Rama duke prezantuar një investim qindra milionësh pikërisht në qendër. Por sipas kryebashkiakut këtë tregojnë shifrat e këtij viti të përqëndruara në periferitë e Tiranës. "Kjo tregon pikërisht se jo vetëm nuk ka pasur një fokusim tërësor në qendër por se ndoshta ky aks është gjithsesi një aks që mund të ishte trajtuar edhe më parë por që ne nuk e kemi trajtuar, pikërisht sepse i kemi kushtuar vëmendje kryesisht zgjerimit të akseve kryesore, për efekt të trafikut", tha më tej Rama.

The boulevard will be paved with volcanic stones according to the article.

The tram will go through "Deshmorit e Kombit" Blv. and "Zogu I" Blv, thus linking the Mother Teresa square with the train station. IMO the tram will not be very useful built this way cause there are not many people who travel between these two extremities. Most of the "Deshmorit e Kombit" Blv. will be a pedestrian only way, with cars passing where the city inner ring meets the boulevard.

I don't think we need a tram, I would like a subway to be built!

The subway might be a little unnecessary. Too expensive and the thing about tirana is that it has only one place to go, central square thus at most it will probably a one line thing, with commuter rail extensions when you get out of the center. When I was in Tirana and asked about the building you are mentioning FR, my friend told its mostly an apartment building that looks a little bit taller because its a little bit hilly in there. The pictures however seem to disagree with his explanation. Who knows? Maybe if you can read its banner you can search it on the web. It is probably that oftyhe construction company.

I dont know, by looking at its shape the base looks a bit wider and bigger.
I would like it covered in glass considering it's 23 stories high;)

I find it hard to believe this building will be an apartment complex

http://www.united-albania.com/images/zoom/Tirana/tirana-albania-guide1-01.jpg

Looking at its location it wouldnt make sense having an apartment complex right next to Pallati i Kongreseve?!
I looked closer at the pic and i cant see anything in that banner.
Usually they place them in the ground level.

i also find it really hard to believe that skyscraper is an apartment building. :eek: i know i already asked this question a while back, but are there any other renderings found for the project? :dunno:

as for the subway comment in tirana, i believe it wouldn't be smart. the city itself isn't that large for a subway system to be built. it's also extremely expensive.

No renderings Mimica

A subway is not neccessary for the moment.
The french plan had it to built like 18.000 underground parking spaces and trams but i am not so sure about a subway.
And like you said it'll be very costly for City Hall budget to handle.

Here is a view of the city provided by Nero

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Tirana_Albania_pano_2004-07-14.jpg

The aim is to expand Tirana more to the right.
The left part of the city you see here wont change much.

Pretty soon Tirana will change if Edi Rama is still in power. The villages you see today wont be there in the future. Probably many buildings will be made since Tirana is a very fast growing city..And Edi Rama is one crazy dude. Just to extend the highway coming in the city he crashed many houses...He might just do the same and allow buildings to be made. Tirana will be very large in the future. We wont be able to tell the border of Tirana and Durres :cheers:
as for the subway we dont need it....The streetcar should be made but the buses we have get you around the city.

Although the images are a bit small in pixels here are some different looks at the danish project being constructed as we speak:

http://www.lsaphoto.com/thumbs/20050115130005_15010531.jpg

http://www.lsaphoto.com/thumbs/20050115130004_15010530.jpg

http://www.lsaphoto.com/thumbs/20050115125820_15010528.jpg

Quite an immpressive design again looking at it from this angle.
2 smaller buildings from both sides of the same structure will compliment it.

pretty cool panorama of tirana. :)

i was wondering why some people call it tirana, and some call it tirane? :dunno:

It's acctually written Tiranë .... letter ë when placed at the end of a word is not really used and in this case we would read it as Tiran.
In Albania we would differentiate it in terms like Trajta e shquar/Trajta e pashquar wich translated in english means Definite noun/Indefinite noun.
Tirana is a Definite Noun
Tiranë is an Indefinite noun

pretty cool panorama of tirana. :)

i was wondering why some people call it tirana, and some call it tirane? :dunno:

and also the citizens of tirana those who are pure tiranas call it tirona...as you see in my nick :cheers:

It's acctually written Tiranë .... letter ë when placed at the end of a word is not really used and in this case we would read it as Tiran.
In Albania we would differentiate it in terms like Trajta e shquar/Trajta e pashquar wich translated in english means Definite noun/Indefinite noun.
Tirana is a Definite Noun
Tiranë is an Indefinite noun

oh...ok. :) :D

Yes, Tirona is how a native would call Tirana:D

"Shit Jet" advertising on the wall in Albania? Wow, must be a nice instrument, more modern than a japanese toilet.

The tram will go through "Deshmorit e Kombit" Blv. and "Zogu I" Blv, thus linking the Mother Teresa square with the train station. IMO the tram will not be very useful built this way cause there are not many people who travel between these two extremities. Most of the "Deshmorit e Kombit" Blv. will be a pedestrian only way, with cars passing where the city inner ring meets the boulevard.

yeah i believe they will use the streetcar a lot. because it links the university with the train station. many students come from other towns...plus students living on the other side of town......

The Environmental Inspectorate and the Tirana Police Department announced that they will double the fines for legal entities that pollute the streets in Albanian capital.


Tirana Coat of Arms
The new fines for litteing on the streets and sidewalks in Tirana will range from 1,000 to 10,000 Lek. In addition to the Environmental Inspectorate, the local Police will also be able to sentence fines on the violators, up to 5,000 Lek.

Recently, the Municipality of Tirana organised the timetables for collection of waste produced by legal entities. The pilot project, implemented by several waste collection companies, covers 20 main streets in Tirana and legal entities and businesses.

The Municipality also cooperates with the non-governmental sector to evaluated the possibility for recycling fo some materials, as well as to raise the levels of public awareness on waste disposal issues.


http://see.oneworld.net/ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/variations/14853-400x500.gif

It is only 20 or so kilometers from Tirana, if that. A tiny little village hugging the ridge
of one of the low-lying hills that encircle Tirana. A lovely little oasis where you can spend an hour or two relaxing at the weekend. A place where you run into the locals, friendly and hardworking, and at the same time, go back 1500 years in history. This location is called The Castle of Preza. It is as if it doesn’t even exist until you discover it.

Preza is like a home-coming

At 15:00 hours, just as the Hoxha in the local mosque begins prayers, a group of teenage girls, secondary school pupils, emerge from their houses. However, there does not seem to be any connection between the Hoxha’s chanting and the appearance of these young girls in the narrow little alleyways of the village. Not only the girls, but the other locals seem somewhat indifferent to the sound of the Hoxha’s voice and his message. The mosque and the tradition of the Hoxha’s chanting in the afternoons, especially on a Friday, is nothing more than a ritual, a remnant of times past, which probably has very little bearing on day to day affairs and the work the locals do. There is a battered old Mercedes Benz waiting for the girls, with a radio blaring out hip hop music, which, I must add, almost drowned the voice of the Hoxha. Sporting jeans (You can’t tell these days whether they are village girls or the ‘Bllok’1 in Tirana). Twenty years ago, their mothers would have walked through the same narrow village lanes, with heads covered and dressed in the traditional baggy trousers. With classes out for the day at the village secondary school, the girls want to immerse themselves in the noise of Tirana. So different from only a decade ago, today, no one impedes them from doing what they think is reasonable. Two or three shops, in the street below, obviously constructed with the money emigrant family members have sent home, are closing for the lunch break and their owners roll down the front shutters.

At the same time 75 year old, Tahir Dervishi, as he does every day, has stopped working in the little vegetable patch in front of his house and walks into his comfortable home, which he shares with his eldest son, to have some lunch. This old man is one of the "intellectuals" of the village, seeing that he was Director of the Secondary School of the entire zone for thirty five years; publishes the newspaper "Preza" once every three months and is Chairman of a cultural association. Neither Tahir nor any of his family have any intention of leaving Preza.

This little pearl of a village called Preza, 20 kilometers North West of Tirana is a wonderful natural oasis, which becomes quite appealing as a week-end hide out for a few hours, away from the noise and the dust of Tirana.

Tucked away snugly among the olive trees on top of soft rising hill, this little village and its stone alleyways seem to meander along the ridge line. The road that snakes up the hill, becomes the main street of the village. It is lined with little white houses, with their pots of flowers and herbs on the window ledges, the little white curtains at the windows- typical of villages of the Mediterranean, and with their womenfolk forever sweeping the front yards and porches. Preza really is like a little hideout.

"People are very mild in this village," says Mr. Dervishi. "With its fertile soil, abundant production of bread-grain and other crops, Preza is known, in particular for its olive crops, which are of the highest quality for their food value. The village lives well. Without exception, the men folk work their own land, some of the young men and women from our village have emigrated to "absorb the western way of life." But some of them have also come home and have made small investments, at the most, opened a local shop. Now, in Preza there are more vehicles than there were mules in my time, whilst our children grow up healthy and strong in the clear air of this small but attractive little community."

A Little Gem

Younger men in the village also share the opinion that Preza is a "real little gem." Arbeni, a man in his early forties, is the owner of the Bar and Restaurant "Preza." One of the most interesting in the whole zone. He says it never occurs to him to shift to Tirana. He has created a business, which has very good prospects, a guaranteed livelihood, right here in his own village.

With the help of his brother, Arben built the restaurant inside the surrounds of the old castle, designed to fit in with the character of the ambience, the old castle walls and other period objects. The Bar-Restaurant is a typical Albanian rustic-style structure, complete with wooden tables and stools, with the old built in wall cupboards, copperware and ornaments taken from local houses, and wafting out from it is the good smell of local cooking. Bread is baked at home in the old oven that dates back to World War One, the juicy chickens of the fields down below and the local meats sizzle in its oven. Its no wonder that the villagers here have never heard of genetically modified foods.

"There is nothing more healthy than home grown vegetables and food." says Arben. He thinks that this has been a key to the success of his restaurant. Home baked bread, home made wine, good cheeses and the fragrances of the plum tree blossoms in the Spring.

In the garden of the restaurant, with all its fragrances and the aroma of good cooking, you can look out over the walls of the Castle of Preza, and see the walls of the Castle of Kruja and of the Castle of Petrela. (The three castles could communicate by using torches).

During the day, on every half hour, you get a breathtaking view of aircraft as they come into land at the Mother Theresa International Airport at Rinas, the runway of which stretches out at the foot of the hill, directly below the walls of the Castle of Preza. With the aid of some old binoculars that Arben has installed, on a fine day, you can see as far as Ulqin and even the coasts of Italy.

"This is wonderful," cried a very special friend of this restaurant, when he first visited, the former US Ambassador to Tirana, Joseph Limpricht. But this is how so many foreigners have reacted, who have found out where to go to get out of Tirana for a rest in the week end. The Albanians are much slower.

The former Manager of RognerPark Hotel, the Austrian, Herr Shmid had "fallen in love," with this "marvel of nature," and he organized a very special wedding here for an Austrian couple who had worked for some years in Albania. And the Raunigs came all the way from Vienna to have their wedding here amongst Albanian and foreign friends and family against the stunning backdrop of the Castle of Preza.

"The restaurant is always frequented by foreigners," says Arben, perhaps with a twinge of regret as to why Albanians want the more up-market restaurants and can’t relax in the beautiful surroundings their country offers them.

Preza is truly a beautiful tourist spot. The Castle, the last restoration work done on it was twenty years ago, the objects full of historical value and particularly the story of the Mosque of Preza are all sources of genuine interest and curiosity. The bell tower, according to old documents, used to have a bell that weighed 2-3 kilograms in gold, prior to World War One. Although the village resisted, the Austro-Hungarians removed the bell and today it is located in the Museum of Vienna.

If you were to close your eyes for a moment, Preza could be one of dozens of very similar little tourist hamlets throughout Europe, which thrive on the revenue generated from their historical values, tourism and local arts and crafts. This is really good. You can imagine Preza like this, with its God gifted location and scenery, intertwined with the historical values of the Castle, and very good future prospects.

What are the prospects? The middle-aged generation of the village seem to have a clear idea on this subject, those who have already invested in their businesses inside the village. One alternative is to build a system of small wooden chalets, characteristic of the craftsmanship of the zone, to rent out for weekends or holidays. Some of these chalets will be ready for use this Spring and will transform Preza into a popular haunt.

Retiring to Preza time and again would be like a home coming for everyone, even for the teenage girls who, for the time being, have their sights fixed on Tirana.

Revisiting History

The earliest historical source that mentions the Castle of Preza, 20 kilometers North West of Tirana, is a note by the Historian Barleci in his work, "The History of the Life and Deeds of Skenderbe. Apart from this, Preza is mentioned in an anonymous report on Albania, of the year 1570, in a dispatch of the Venetian Ambassador Bernardo in 1591.

One of the first foreigners to have visited the castle was the Austrian scholar Hahn. The Castle is mentioned in the studies of Ipen and Shuflai, while in the years of World War One, Preza was visited by the Austrian archeologist Prashnicker.

In the report of 1570, it is stated that the Castle was built by the Turks. Croatian scholar Shuflai has probably based himself on this report too, when he deducts that the construction of this castle belongs to the Turkish period. However Barleci’s mention of the Castle,( according to him, in 1450-1467 during the Sieges of Kruja, Preza was in ruins), reveals that it had been built far earlier. The more likely variant is that the first phase of the construction of the castle dates back to Centuries 4-5 AND, as the Austrian archeologist Prashnicker thought. The castle was small and powerless to withstand powerful assaults and protracted sieges. It was originally built as a vantage point to control the very important route at its feet leading into the Plain of Tirana. The garrison of the castle also collected taxes and other levies from the population of the region.

Its construction at other historical periods had the same purpose, such as during the period of the principalities and in the time of the Turkish invasion, doing the repair work on it at later stages. For the population of the area, in the report on a journey through Albania, by the Venetian Ambassador Bernardo in 1591, it is stated that, "here too it is said that healthy and robust men are born, and when they are given rank, they become formidable horsemen.

Parku i Liqenit me fytyrë të re
Rama:Projekti i ri do t'u japë fund abuzimeve

http://www.lsaphoto.com/thumbs/20050812094239_12080520.jpg

Parku i Liqenit në Tiranë përgatitet të ndryshojë fytyrë. Bashkia e kryeqytetit sapo ka përgatitur një strategji për ristrukturimin e parkut, i cili deri tani nuk ka pasur një strukturë të qartë për të ardhmen. Strategjia e rehabilitimit dhe projektimit, u formulua gjatë "Akademisë Verore '05" nga skuadra e arkitektëve të huaj dhe studentëve të përzgjedhur shqiptarë. Plani, që u prezantua dje në Bashkinë e Tiranës, parashikon krijimin e një hapësire publike të ndryshme dhe të shumëllojshme, që i përshtatet dinamikës së Tiranës. Parku i ri i Liqenit do të përmbajë 5 zona me karakter të ndryshëm si: "Bërthama Familjare", "Pylli puqet me Ujin", "Pylli Aktiv", "Natyra e Thellë" dhe "Copa-Tirana". Hyrja në park do të bëhet nëpërmjet Korpusit, e cila do të përfshijë edhe ristrukturimin e katit përdhes të Universitetit, që do të shndërrohet në një kat publik. Hyrja e parkut do të shoqërohet me ristrukturimin e disa hapësirave të gjelbra, që të çojnë në pikën më të largët gjeografike të parkut. Në pjesën jugore është menduar të ngrihet një fidanishte, që do të shërbejë për rritjen e bimëve dhe drurëve që do të mbillen në park, por edhe në qytet. Ndërsa, zona sportive do të ndërtohet në pjesën veriperëndimore të parkut, në afërsi të Fakultetit të Gjeologjisë. Kjo do të jetë një zonë në të cilën do të zhvillohen aktivitete sportive jo vetëm për të rritur, por edhe për fëmijët. Kjo do të jetë edhe një nga zonat e pakta që do të ketë akses makinash. Projekti, i pari i këtij lloji, është financuar nga GTZ, ndërkohë që po kjo organizatë do të financojë dhe projektin e parë pilot të zbatimit në park, në muajin shtator. Gjatë prezantimit të strategjisë, kryetari i Bashkisë së Tiranës, Edi Rama tha se "projekti bën të mundur një përfytyrim shumë të qartë të asaj çka dëshirojmë të jetë parku i Liqenit, në funksion të kualifikimit të përgjithshëm urban që po pëson qyteti i Tiranës". "Ajo që ne duam të bëjmë është të ndërtojmë një park të standardeve evropiane, një model për dhjetëra e qindra hapësirat e ngjashme që ka Shqipëria, si dhe një pikë referimi për të gjithë qytetarët tanë",- shtoi Rama.

:cheers:

:cheers:

Any renderings of the project? How much is being spent on it?

Sorry, only that image you see there from LSA and Shekulli has one too in the front page although part of it is shown, not the whole image.
Here is the article from Shekulli:

Parku i Liqenit, multifunksional


Shekulli

Bashkia e Tiranës ka prezantuar dje strategjinë e Parkut të Liqenit. Strategjia dhe projektimi u formulua nga “Akademia Verore ‘05”, skuadra e arkitektëve të huaj dhe studentëve të përzgjedhur shqiptarë. Pritet që shumë shpjet kjo zonë të kthehet në zonat më të vizituara të kryeqytetit, duke rritur dinamikën e frekuentimit të grupmoshave. “Prezantimi i këtij projekti na bën të mundur të kemi një përfytyrim shumë të qartë të asaj çka dëshirojmë të jetë Parku i Liqenit, në funksion të kualifikimit të përgjithshëm urban që po pëson qyteti i Tiranës dhe në funksion dhe të nevojave të vazhdueshme që kanë qytetarët për të shfrytëzuar sa më mirë këtë park. Po ashtu edhe në funksion të mbrojtjes së Parkut të Liqenit nga goditjet e vazhdueshme të informalitetit, nga abuzimet që janë vënë re në vijimësi, të të gjitha natyrave dhe njëkohësisht edhe nga braktisja, e cila në një pjesë të saj ka pasur të bëjë me pamundësinë tonë për të qenë më të përqendruar dhe më të vëmendshëm ndaj Parkut”, - tha kryetari i Bashkisë së Tiranës, Edi Rama, gjatë prezantimit të këtij projekti. Tashmë është hedhur gjithçka në letër dhe rezultatet e para pritet që të ndihen së afërmi. Një strukturë madhështore, e cila do të presë mijëra kryeqytetas, ndërkohë që do të rritet gama e shërbimeve të ofruara, e cila aktualisht është e kufizuar, për shkak të mungesës së një infrastrukture të këtij lloji. Brenda shtatorit pritet që projekti të marrë udhë dhe vizitorët parë të ndiejnë ndryshimin. Një pazar i gjelbër në natyrë, sa për të ndezur dëshirën e kryeqytetasve për të vizituar Parkun që ndodhet vetëm pak minuta nga kryeqendra
Projekti
Hyrja në Park do të bëhet nëpërmjet Korpusit, e cila do të përfshijë edhe ristrukturimin e katit përdhe të universitetit, i cili do të shndërrohet në një kat publik. Ndërkohë që do të rikonstruktohet kopshti i brendshëm i universitetit, i cili do të bëhet pjesë hyrëse e Parkut. Hyrja e Parkut do të shoqërohet gjithashtu me ristrukturimin e disa hapësirave të gjelbra, të cilat të çojnë në pikën më të largët gjeografike të Parkut nga ku do të bëhet edhe shpërndarja si vizuale, ashtu edhe fizike e vizitorëve. Sipas projektit, diga do të ristrukturohet dhe do të kthehet në një plazh publik, ku do të ndërtohen disa struktura druri të mbajtura me konstruksion metalik, të cilat do të shërbejnë për qytetarët. Në këtë strukturë multifunksionale do të mund të zhvillohen ekspozita fotografike, panaire apo pazar i gjelbër. Për funksionimin e plazhit do të pastrohet uji i liqenit, si një pikë kyçe për mirëfunksionimin e Parkut. Ndërkohë pjesë e projektit do të jetë edhe fidanishtja, e cila është menduar të ngrihet në pjesën jugore të Parkut. Në pjesën veriperëndimore do të ndërtohet një zona sportive, e cila kufizohet me Fakultetin e Gjeologjisë. Kjo do të jetë një zonë në të cilën do të zhvillohen aktiviteve sportive jo vetëm për të rritur, por edhe për fëmijët. Ndërkohë që do të jetë një nga zonat e vetme që do të ketë akses makinash. Kurse në pjesët e tjera nuk do të ketë akses makinash, veç rasteve të shërbimit, të cilat do të bëhen në orët e vona. Gjithashtu janë konceptuar strategjitë për strukturimin e atyre objekteve apo strukturave ekzistuese në Park, siç është amfiteatri, i cili do të rehabilitohet apo pika të tjera qëndrimi, të cilat aktualisht nuk janë në funksionim. Ndriçimi në Park përbën projektin tjetër tepër të rëndësishëm të funksionimit të tij, i cili do të përfshijë elementë të ndryshëm dekorativë, si ndriçim pedonal, ndriçim i fshehur etj. “Dëshiroj të theksoj edhe faktin që puna e përbashkët e arkitektëve të ardhur nga shumë vende të botës dhe e studentëve tanë është një punë e cila dallohet jo vetëm për cilësinë, por edhe për cilësinë e vetë dialogut e të komunikimit midis tyre. Është një punë që duke qenë një grup unik, ruan atë çka duhet ruajtur nga e shkuara dhe duke sjellë një numër argumentesh dhe propozimesh të reja për të nesërmen e Parkut të liqenit”, - tha Rama. Parku i Liqenit është pesë parqe në një. Si një peizazh i diferencuar më tepër, Parku i Liqenit përmban 5 zona me karakter të ndryshëm që të gjitha së bashku formojnë një tërësi të ekuilibruar dhe koherente: “Bërthama Familjare”, ‘Pylli puqet me Ujin’, ‘Pylli Aktiv”, “Natyra e Thellë” dhe “Copa-Tirana”. Parku i ri strukturohet qartë dhe bëhet një eksperiencë e arritshme nga vizitorët në çdo pjesë të tij, secila një ftesë për të zbuluar jetesën, evolucionin dinamik të peizazheve të ndryshme në kohë. Projekti është financuar nga GTZ, e cila do të financojë edhe projektin e parë pilot të implementimit në Park, i cili do të fillojë në muajin shtator. Mendohet që në shtator të bëhet edhe një javë panairi për Parkun, ku do të ekzpozohen projektet e Parkut për investitorët e interesuar, donatorë si edhe për qytetarët e Tiranës. Projektuesit do t’i transformojnë asetet e tij natyrore në zona të qarta të Parkut me cilësi dhe atmosfera specifike, duke ofruar një gamë të zgjeruar potenciali eksperiencash. Parku i Liqenit është një park me përmasa të shumëfishta.

A closer view of the project by ALNA

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9230.jpg

National Theater under reconstruction (small pics)

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9193.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9196.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9195.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9194.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9192.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9191.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9190.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9189.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9188.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy9187.jpg

A while back was reported in the media that Piramida was going to become a Modern Theater.

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy8544.jpg

Here is the project done by Klement Kolaneci who ironically designed Piramida in the first place. (Klement Kolaneci is Enver Hoxha's son in law)

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy5449.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy5450.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy5451.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy5452.jpg



Not only do i approve of Piramida turning into a Modern Theater but i highly praise the project :cheers:

Albania's New Parlament will be identical to the one from 1921.
They want to preserve the city's history and i say why not :cheers:

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy5459.jpg

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy5457.jpg

The 1921 Parlament was designed by austrian architects.

This was a proposed project for Dajti Hotel a while back.

http://alna.com.al/admin/foto/foto/water/water_copy4779.jpg

I am telling you Illiricum they're going to built something special there;)

:cheers:

Hmmm... Let's see what I want from Dajti park to come out:

- In the first place an impressive building to welcome visitors at the ropeway station. I mean impressive in design and services as well. It could serve as a big entertainment center. The ropeway station can be moved to the inside of such building.

- Extensive care about the wildlife and ecosystem in Dajti park. Most of the area shouldnot be accessible by cars.

- A touristic "village". A clear design mixing modern and traditional.

Then I want the Lana canal to be restored to its original stunning water clarity. You can see this in the canal source where pottable water flows.


On the parliament thing... Part of it will be a designed as a museum accessible by anyone. Given the fact that the parliament will move to its original location, I am wondering what will happen with the present building.

The theater project of the Pyramid is awsome. I am totally for it.

I want the zoo to be totally redesigned and brought to full functionality. The botanic garden as well.

The national library should be moved to a decent place. A new building, modern in design and services should be built. The actual palace of the opera (& ballet) should change face completly. It is a huge ugly parasite in the heart of Tirana.

Then there are the informal residential areas. The project for the digital maps will end by October. I hope the urban plan for these areas will be good to make this experience only a bad memory for the citizens of Tirana.

The city outer ring should be immediately be built, so does the Tirana-Elbasan highway which has been neglected for too long until now.

I read in a papers over a week ago one of the local architects proposed for the roof tiles in the new parlament to be in grey color, he didnt seem too pleased with the red tile roof.
I think it would look better with grey tiles as well.