Multimedia and Animation Center in Tirana.
POLIS University Architecture and Urban Design Faculty Tirana

Fire Station in Tirana and center for public safety.
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Center for Environmental Research, Technology and Innovation in Tirana
(The study site was in existing Hoxha Pyramid)
POLIS University Architecture and Urban Design Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Professional Master in Urban and Landscape Design
POLIS University Architecture and Urban Design Faculty – Tirana.

Thesis Title: MULTIPLE WAYS OF SEEING ONE PLACE “Cultural Heritage Park” – District of Pristina in Kosovo

The design proposal for the cultural heritage park in the famous Kosovo battlefield is developed by identifying different layers from which the site is composed. These layers of physical, historical, social, economical and environmental content are defined and interpreted individually. Furthermore their interrelationship and respective impact, as well as their overall importance on the general scheme of the envisioned cultural heritage park is discussed. Finally visual and technical drafting of the design proposal is layed out as a joint compromise of all the factors influencing the site in respect to thesis aims and objectives for the development of the proposed cultural heritage site: preserving the historical values; revitalizing and reusing in an adaptive way the individual monuments and the historical site as a whole; improving living and working conditions for inhabitants; promoting tourism and recreation; protecting environment and promoting sustainable planning and architecture.
What precisely are the heritage values of the place? Field of Blackbirds is one of the most significant cultural landscapes in Kosovo. As mentioned, the ensuing half century has also added a layers that says much about modern Kosovo and in particular the role of the state in economic, social and cultural development. I will focus on the heritage and naturals values deriving from the past and show how there are under threat from the subsequent processes of change in the site. The battle and the ground on which it occurred have transnational regional significance as major turning point. Moreover World Heritage listing would give international recognition to the place and lead to economic benefits to the region as a whole through cultural tourism. Such benefits might be jeopardized, however, by the modernization and urbanization policies that can rapidly change the character of site and threatening its heritage values.

Archaeological and Historical Museum in Athens.
Synergetic Fluxes
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Museums deal with complex architectural questions. How can architecture provide enough exhibition space for various collections, how can collections be preserved and studied when the different fluxes flow inside the space, demanding their part? How can architecture orientate these flows to make sure the user achieves an enjoyable experience? Can design questions and principle overshadow the collections, or is it possible for a dynamic architecture to be the clear canvas for showcasing different collections? Museums in Athens, are main attractors of tourist, as well as economical benefactors to Greece, given the city’s history and enormous amounts of ancient ruins. These facts have led to the need for a new museum inside the center of the city, to shelter all the discoveries stocked inside storehouses, because of the lack of exhibition space. Synergetic Fluxes, is an archaeological museum, situated near the temple of Olympic Zeus, and as such serves a shelter for the ruins that are being discovered day after day, to preserve and study them. Furthermore, in its role as a fluxes collector, the museum offers spaces for public debate, the sharing of experience and knowledge and many practical and pragmatic activities related to a museum. The activities vary from educational to recreational ones, with the intertwining of these elements to achieve a more complete experience for the user. Educational activities are made from workshops and classes about excavations, art history, to teach and train young professionals and amateurs. The recreational activities are
public favorites, with bar and restaurant, coffee shops and souvenirs, to give to the visitor also a pleasant stay. To conclude, a new archeological museum is a necessity for the moment in Athens. This need should be seen as a opportunity to create more than just a collection space, but a forum for public debate and experience.

RED KNOT
Multimedia as strategy for social change.
POLIS University Architecture Faculty. Tirana (AL)

Museum of Photography in Skenderbeg Square Tirana.
POLIS University Architecture and Urban Design Faculty. Tirana

The marine museum as an instrument to re-bring natural ecosystems and strengthen local community values – Vlora Albania
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Site Position and Analysis

The project is situated in the city of Vlore, which is the second  main harbor in Albania. The project area is situated  along  the waterfront ,which  with its added quality, is a good opportunity to broaden some of the functions of the city or to provide new ones for the residential areas, prolonging its activityduring the whole year instead of the current seasonal one.

Taking into consideration the fact that Vlore is the second largest port- city in Albania with the increasing number of inhabitants it should be considered a new centrality in continuity with the old city centrality and with thatof the harbor area (Skela).

The new waterfront is an extension of the city spine, represented by its boulevard. Important functions should be proposed  in order to revive the city during the whole year. Beyond the square further important functions must be anticipated; A recreational pole, sport activities, a wellness center and pools; but also smaller activities: Info points; News-Stands, Thematic squares, Playgrounds, Bus Stations, small cafes fishing piers, bathing services etc. What is missing in the existing context are receptive activities, services to tourism and activities that bring the city life in the waterfront not only during the summer but during the whole year as according to our vision Vlora is expanding in the south-eastern part of the waterfront. Referring to the sectors of the waterfront it is possible to define for each area new functions and activities which will give a proper identity to each part of the city.

Due to the analysis and questionnaires done in the city a problem that should be taken  in consideration is the fact that all the  sewages are thrown in the water and sea especially in the harbor zone ,   which is polluted and can be a reason for many infective diseases. So starting by the concept of the green axes that head towards the water the idea  is to extend these axes beyond  the piers  in order to create a biological reserved area to purify the water and protect the water species. The system of  floating wetland pods recreate a natural habitat.Planted with remediating plants, this floating park can also remediate the water of metals and other toxins. This complex creates a potent field of research for the study of wetland ecosystems, hydrology, vegetation and native wildlife species.This cellular system allows for easy maintenance, since each cell can be removed and  repaired without jeopardizing the overall health of the network. This marine museum creates a whole new system which protects the zone and has three levels. It  proposes a visually powerful and highly efficient transport and public facility that connects the two axis of the city proposed in the new masterplan with the impressive waterfront.The second  is the marine level, which connects the city with the underwater flora and fauna and the third is that of the more green nature,which connects the internal ecosystem with the existing one in the city.

The Museum is set back from the water’s edge by an esplanade with a covered pedestrian loggia that allows visitors to enjoy the view across the bay. At night, when viewed from the water, the glassy facades of the Museum will reveal the brightly-lit interior, becoming a beacon on the water and a landmark on the horizon . The Museum and Marina are thematically linked to the outdoor Marine Life Park and form a rich tourist experience focused on the sea, marine life and maritime experiences.

The concept needed further development, so by analyzing several proposals, an interaction of both elements, a symbiosis of these opposite essentials was needed . Thus, the design is basically an interaction of solid and liquid, land and sea.

The cantilevered architecture provides not only a sense of architectural spectacle and event but creates exciting vistas and public spaces for both visitors and locals alike. Within the building’s curvilinear architecture are numerous exhibition and event spaces, night markets, cafes and restaurants. These public programs are all integrated carefully with the architecture and the landscaping of the site and surroundings to create a vibra  nt addition to the new green edge of the  waterfront.

Construction 
The building’s structure is made up of advanced concrete and steel structures. The building’s architectural facade design forms the basis for the design of the steel structures. The concrete structures around the aquariums are exposed to an aggressive saltwater environment, which imposes extreme requirements on the structures’ lifetime and corrosion protection. A complete experience of life in fresh- and saltwater across the earth is created . The concept involves the visitor into an underwater universe with an atmosphere that will fascinate and enchant both children and adults.  The exhibition is a total concept offering all visitors a captivating experience of life in and under the water. A mixture of light, sound, projections, film, interactivity, graphics, illustrations and signs aimed at all age levels ensures that every visitor, regardless of background or interests, has the best experience possible. Moreover, the concept sets new standards for aquarium facilitation and design.

ABOVE THE EMPTY
Rewriting our social and historical narratives through the flexibility of the art of performing
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Structure Consultant: Besart Gjana

Concept:
The analysis provides for an inspiration, from which derives a concept that embraces the idea of trans-programming. As explained by Bernard Tschumi in his book “Architecture and Disjunction”, this means to blend together two functions that are completely different to each other and at the same time co-exist, and further more improve the functionality of one another. The concept elaborates the idea of contradiction on how will the two components describe themselves to the people. On one hand there is the existing museum which is presented as a ‘narrative’, while on the other hand stands the intervention which manifests as an ‘interactive’. The ‘narrative’, the museum, will work on the concept of a continuous chronologic sequence that can be sometimes cut out, enclosed, extended or diluted. On the internal space configuration of the existing museum a new system of narration will be implemented which is not only chronological but also physical. The relation between the two systems will be similar to the relation between ‘the host’ and ‘the parasite’. Inspirations for the concept come from the feedback from the site (fig. 42). After discovering the void, the courtyard, the first juxtaposition to it is the one with the sky. It immediately gives you the idea of being embraced by the lightness of the clouds. Therefore, the Performative Art space, is conceptually thought as another cloud added above the void of the courtyard.

Nurturing steps – A multipurpose center for orphans in Tirana
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

INTERACTIVE  EDGE
A renovation of Elbasan’s Ancestral Wall
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Concept from the thesis report:
ELBASAN _ THE LOST IDENTITY OF A CITY
The main purpose of this project is to experiment new experiences of the old city considering it as an urban object and most of all a cultural object, not only a creation of the human society but also aesthetic, carrier of universal values, that are inherited and transmitted from generation to generation. More than any other architectonic isolated object, the structure of the urban settlements has resisted time, a structure that has accepted change, transformation and development from time to time. When we realize studies in the morphological field, this does not mean that we should copy from tradition and the forms of  the past, but, it means we should find the ways that these studies serve to distinguish principles and experiences through the understanding of the concepts, models, and theories that analyse the human environment.
This is possible by studying the environment from two perspective:
In one hand there is the city as a long creative process
The other hand the study of the city as a product of this disciplined process.
Staying with the idea of this study, it is to be pointed out the fact that we are going to concentrate in the analysis of the values of urban situation of the city of Elbasan before 1960,a time that sets a clear limit between the city from the past and the first interventions in its urban structure from urban planners that tried to respond to the necessities of time.
First of all it is distinguished the sustainable strategic, geo-morphological and economic principles that have determined the position of the city of Elbasan. Secondly, it is the stability of the urban structure of the city, visible and present now days in the plan. This structure was consolidated in long periods of time accepting as non conditional phenomena:
-Evolution in time and the territorial expansion through an organic logic, but also, by overcoming the geographic and natural barriers.
-The urban structure, protecting her identity accepts change, adaption and transformation as indispensable conceptual elements of the urban form in her efforts to respond to the phenomena of the social and urban life of the city.

A NEW MARKET IN THE HISTORIC CENTER OF PRISTINA
POLIS University Architecture Faculty – Tirana (AL)

Concept from the thesis report:

The concept derived from the analysis and it embraces the idea of flexibility. The idea of this project is to create a useful space for the community. This space is a multifunctional area with different functions included inside its perimeter which at the same time co-exist with each other. The idea is to create various atmospheres inside the site, to promote social interface, to attract a larger community inside the city, to make more enjoyable the trading process and to give a landmark to the city. The walking lines treated with different pavements from the main entry of the market lead to the market, which is designed in a way to connect and in the same time to separate the two environments. One line goes behind the structure of the market to a very linear and quiet public space created for the inhabitants around this area and continues with the ramps that guide to the rooftops. The roofs of the market are projected to be mini-squares with various functions; the first one is a garden, the second is an amphitheater, the third is a playground for the children and the last one is a little square. On the other side takes place all the chaos and people fluxes. The inside spaces of these structures are designed in a flexible way, the stalls of the market are transformed into sliding panels which make possible for the traders to create their own spaces. These panels are arranged differently in every fragment of the market so this space can be experienced from people in many ways. Moreover, the market is divided in five fragments:

• Open air market
• The food corner
• Arts and crafts market
• Clothes market
• Food market.

These fragments are assembled in a way to connect with each other, with the residential buildings around and also with the morphology of the city of Prishtina. After all, the market is a place for the people and people are those who give life to it, so this project aims to give back to this place the soul that was left in memories from the past.