A new array of dense buildings will appear on the shores of Lake Tirana, in the greenest part of the city. In addition to residential and office buildings, as well as trade and infrastructure facilities, a park will be set up on 20 hectares of its territory, new public spaces and recreational facilities will be arranged.
The rectangular volumes of buildings resemble cubes scattered on the ground: they hang over each other, colliding and sometimes forming pyramids. The asymmetric outlines of the new district and the variety of solutions for the facades of individual buildings turn it into an "echo" of the old city of Tirana, which is also characterized by the "chaos" of volumes and colors. The architects also see natural allusions in their project, which is reflected in its name Tirana Rocks - “the rocks of Tirana”.
It is planned to plant a whole park of rosewood trees around the buildings, so that at the time of flowering, the new area looks like a "blue cloud".
The start of construction is scheduled for 2010, the project budget is 600 million euros.
MVRDV's competitors in the architecture competition included David Chipperfield and Carlos Ferrater.
