|
 |
 |
|
Tower Complex at the Sulejman Pasha Monument Area
Tirana, Albania
2005 |
|
|
|
| Type: |
mixed use
|
| Source: |
competition |
| Address/Site: |
Skenderbej Plaza zone, Tirana, Albania |
| Building area: |
4815 m2 |
| Total floor area: |
22825 m2 plus 1100 m2 shopping on -1 |
| Storeys: |
4b + gf + 23 |
| Structure: |
reinforced concrete skeleton, core+columns+deep beams+plates |
| Cladding: |
double skin curtain wall facade with louvre blinds |
| Architect: |
SVA (Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Lucijan Šifrer, John Paul Americo, Ines Schmid)
|
|
|
|
|
When observed from the Skenderbej Square, the tower is visually strongly related to the two monumental verticals in the square's zone: the slim verticals of Beg Etham Mosque minaret and Tirana Clock Tower.
The upper part of the first tower rotates away from its base enough to face the square. In addition it splits into two parts with a panoramic elevator shaft in between, thus creating a vertical slot - the third vertical. There is a point on western edge of the plaza, where all three verticals align visually and thus symbolically connect religious, secular and urban markers of the city. This point therefore becomes a special spot of the entire square.
Rotation of the upper part results in a volumetric twist of the first tower, extending down to the plinth.
First tower shaped as Matrix Volume is a result of internal and external parameters. The twist generates visually different and recognisable sequences of first tower in the cityscape.
The plinth consists of four parts, which are spatially and programmatically interrelated under one roof: the tower base, the adjacent 12-meter attachment, the 18.8-meter western part and the gallery in between. Visually the plinth represents a tower extension. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
