The project for the former Sheraton area, which is part of a complex urban system undergoing evolution, connects to the city’s main axis and aims to expand the historic center by linking it to the less built-up part of the city.

The design of the new building complex is no longer based on a rigid concept, as was the case in the past with the urban axis and the monumental buildings surrounding it, but on an organic approach capable of integrating the intervention within the surrounding park.

The park in question, Tirana’s Great Lake Park, is a 230-hectare public area located south of the city that includes an artificial lake and monumental elements such as the Church of St. Procopius and the Presidential Palace of Tirana. The park was built between 1955 and 1956 according to a Bulgarian urban plan and also includes the Botanical Garden and Zoo, as well as a series of swimming pools.

The redevelopment project for the former Sheraton site therefore involves a general renovation and reconfiguration of the entire perimeter area, involving six areas of interest: their total surface area of 30,000 square meters will be the scene of a new urban development aimed at accommodating functions compatible with the new layout, which are clearly identified in both the altimetric and volumetric development of the project, which

involves the renovation of the existing building of the former Sheraton Hotel—located on a plot of land with a 6-meter difference in height sloping down from the road to the edge of the area—as well as the creation of new services, residences, offices, and parking lots.

In terms of volume, the former Sheraton Hotel will be renovated by removing the architectural interferences located at the rear of the structure and creating a new façade that will give the structure a strong contemporary look.

The project involves the addition of multiple structures with different functions: a casino, a panoramic bar, a spa, and a conference room, while in the area adjacent to the former Sheraton Hotel, six new buildings are planned, characterized by a soft, circular design, with a maximum height of 17 stories.

These six buildings, positioned opposite each other, are located along Skerdilajd Llagami Street, which runs along the east side of Albania’s New National Stadium, and their shape marks the rounded corners of the block.

Each building has an underground parking garage with exclusive, independent access from the third and fourth levels, which are connected by vertical structural blocks (elevators and staircases) located in the center of the organic volumes. The parking garage provides direct access to the various office floors, which, with a point structure, will allow for maximum flexibility of interior spaces.

The project aims to use local materials typical of local buildings, alternating bricks, stone materials, glazed ceramics, and colored concrete, made with advanced prefabrication techniques.