TIRANA MUNICIPALITY
Tirana Municipality Building Competition Design by GAD.
For the design of this concept for a municipal building for Tirana, the team at GAD of Istanbul led by Gokhan Avcioglu moved away from the accepted architectural typology of austere government buildings focusing instead on the geometries afforded by the site on a main avenue of the capital city of Albania. GAD concentrated on generating a dynamic, lithe configuration that not only took into account the interior spaces but the exterior and site perimeter to create a sustainable, zero carbon ecologically sensitive design. The structures generated by the design determined by GAD’s architectural concept furthermore expanded usage of the building throughout the day in a 24-hour cycle as a harbinger for future modalities and generational aspiration for public space, nature and outdoor activity. GAD’s design called for an architecture that serves as an administrative center for government but importantly serves the public with multiple outdoor and indoor functions.
GAD who have always valued flexible use of free flowing space conceived a constellation of functions above and below ground. Including the functions in the basement levels there is a procession of interconnected volumes comprising four distant above ground buildings inclusive of the distinct tower. The lower basement floors are given to social spaces with a separate entrance for the main council meeting space that also includes a multipurpose room and cafeteria with a separate exterior entrance. There is a rich spatial and geometric arrangement that provides a variety of interactions with the local government’s activities but also generates intriguing experiences apart from governmental functions as a space for public gathering providing service and amenities to the public.Within the rich urban environment of Tirana GADs architectural concept acts a counter proposition to the existing closed typology. Instead of a closed removed space the undulating canopy featuring the tower above the city government-meeting hall is in fact open to the exterior and sunlight allowing visual access to these legislative meetings from the public circulation areas and zones of natural landscaping.
