Albania Nel Terzo Millennio Architettura, Città, Territorio

ALBANIA NEL TERZO MILLENNIO ARCHITETTURA, CITTÀ, TERRITORIO

ALBANIA IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM ARCHITECTURE, CITY, TERRITORY estratto dal volume

EDITED BY NILDA VALENTIN estratto

DiAP Dipartimento di Architettura e Progetto Direttore Alessandra Capuano

Sapienza Università di Roma Ricerca di Ateneo

Responsabile Scientifico Nilda Valentin Renato Partenope

Coordinamento generale Nilda Valentin

Comitato scientifico Anna Bruna Menghini Renato Partenope Marco Petreschi Antonino Saggio Nilda Valentin Maks Velo Armand Vokshi

Istituzioni di riferimento Sapienza Università di Roma Università Politecnica di Tirana Associazione degli Architetti dell’Albania Bilkent University, Ankara CNR - Istituto per le Tecnologie della Costruzione Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development National Territorial Planning Agency, Albania Nostra Signora del Buon Consiglio, Tirana Polis University, Tirana Politecnico di Bari Università degli Studi di Firenze Università degli Studi di Messina Università degli Studi di Roma Tre

Coordinamento editoriale Anna Bruna Menghini Marco Petreschi Nilda Valentin

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ISBN 978-88-492-4069-6

In copertina: Veduta del centro storico di Tirana. Foto: Google Maps. estratto

ALBANIA NEL TERZO MILLENNIO ARCHITETTURA, CITTÀ, TERRITORIO

ALBANIA IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM ARCHITECTURE, CITY, TERRITORY

EDITED BY NILDA VALENTIN estratto

SOMMARIO / CONTENTS

6 Architettura, città e territorio in Albania. Le ragioni di una ricerca / Architecture, City and Territory in Albania. The Rationale for a Research Project Nilda Valentin

10 Politica e architettura albanese dopo gli anni 1990 / Albanian Politics and Architecture After the 1990’s Maks Velo

11 La fragilità dell’architettura italiana a Tirana / The Fragility of Italian Architecture in Tirana Marco Petreschi

14 Un’avvincente simbiosi / A Compelling Symbiosis Franco Purini

16 Una grande impresa: la traduzione del libro Architettura e modernità dal Bauhaus alla Rivoluzione Informatica in Albanese / A Great Achievement: the Translation of the Book Architecture and Modernity from Bauhaus to the IT Revolution into Albanian Language Antonino Saggio

18 PART I - ARCHITETTURA / ARCHITECTURE Architettura tra storia e contemporaneità in Albania / Architecture Between History and Contemporaneity in Albania Nilda Valentin

23 Lo spirito del tempo nell’architettura sotto gli approcci ideologici, progetti di Maks Velo e Petraq Kolevica / Spirit of the Time on the Architecture Under the Ideological Approaches, Projects of Maks Velo and Petraq Kolevica Armand Vokshi

27 Architetture prometeiche della nuova Albania. Giochi antropologici di costruzioni, distruzioni, ascese e cadute / Promethean Architectures of the New Albania. Anthropological Games of Construction, Destruction, Rise and Fall Mauro Geraci

33 Lo studio di fattibilità per il restauro ed il recupero del Teatro dell’Accademia - Università delle Arti a Tirana / The Feasibility Study for the Restoration and Recovery of the Academy Theatre - University of Arts in Tirana Riccardo Renzi

37 Il Teatro Nazionale di Tirana come simbolo / The National Theatre of Tirana as a Symbol Rando Devolo

41 La metamorfosi dello ‘Stadio Olimpico’ di Gherardo Bosio a Tirana / The Metamorphosis of Gherardo Bosio’s ‘Olimpic Stadium’ in Tirana Florian Nepravishta, Fiona Nepravishta

47 Fenomeni di sviluppo nell’architettura dell’Albania nel nuovo millennio / Development Phenomena in the Architecture of Albania in the New Millennium Loreta Çapeli

51 Mutazione albanese. La lezione di Bosio come cultura del progetto contemporaneo / Albanian Mutation. Bosio’s Legacy in Contemporary Design Culture Paolo Di Nardo

54 PART II - CITTÀ / CITY La visione urbana di Tirana tra contaminazione e ibridazione / The Urban Vision of Tirana Between Contamination and Hybridization Nilda Valentin

59 Tre B per Tirana. Il disegno della città: dalla rappresentazione alla comunicazione / Three B’s for Tirana. The Design of the City: from Representation to Communication Renato Partenope

63 Tirana Monumentale. La magniloquenza scenografica dell’asse strutturante, intenzioni di tutela e valorizzazione / Monumental Tirana. The Scenographic Magniloquence of the Structuring Axis, Intentions of Protection and Valorization Krenar Gjokeja

67 Il Teatro Nazionale di Tirana. Osservazioni sullo sviluppo urbano e il patrimonio edilizio in Albania / The National Theatre of Tirana. Remarks on Urban Development and Built Heritage in Albania Paolo Vitti

71 Quattro progetti per Tirana. Dalla scala domestica a quella urbana, Stefano Boeri Architetti partecipa al futuro della capitale albanese / Four Projects for Tirana. From the Domestic to the Urban Scale, Stefano Boeri Architetti Participates in the Future of the Albanian Capital Francesca Cesa Bianchi

74 Sviluppo del territorio in Albania. Esperienze e prospettive future / Land Development in Albania. Experiences and Future Prospects Dritan Shutina, Ledio Allkja, Rudina Toto, Tony Favro estratto

82 Spazi pubblici residenziali nella città di Tirana e la loro evoluzione / Residential Public Spaces in Tirana City, and Their Evolution Juljan Veleshnja

86 Da “Né Est né Ovest” a “Vogliamo l’Albania come Europa”. Riflessioni sull’Università POLIS e la sua implementazione di modelli di sviluppo della resilienza in Albania / From “Neither East nor West” to “We Want Albania as Europe” Reflections on POLIS University and its Implementation of Resilience Development Models in Albania Besnik J. Aliaj, Valerio Perna

90 Firenze e Tirana / Florence and Tirana Fabio Capanni

92 PART III - TERRITORIO / TERRITORY Il territorio albanese tra storia, archeologia e paesaggio naturale / The Albanian Territory Between History, Archaeology and Natural Landscape Nilda Valentin

97 La protezione dei monumenti nel contesto albanese / The Protection of Monuments in the Albanian Context Pirro Thomo

101 Riflessioni sull’“identitá” dell’urbanistica e dell’architettura vernacolare in Albania / Reflections on the “Identity” of Vernacular Urbanism and Architecture in Albania Massimo Mitrojorgji

107 Codice di progettazione come strumento di trasformazione del paesaggio culturale a Theth, Alpi albanesi / Design Code as an Instrument of Cultural Landscape Transformation in Theth, Albanian Alps Eltjiana Shkreli

111 L’evoluzione dell’architettura residenziale popolare albanese / The Evolution of Albanian Popular Residential Architecture Frida Dragusha Dibra

115 La possibilità di reinterpretare l’architettura vernacolare albanese / The Possibility of Reinterpreting the Vernacular Albanian Architecture Doriana Bozgo Bleta

119 La via Egnatia, una matrice del paesaggio culturale albanese / The Egnatia road, a Matrix of the Albanian Cultural Landscape Michele Fasolo

125 Epidamnos, Dyrrachion/Dyrrachium, Durazzo. Architettura greca, romana e bizantina della città, vista dal terzo millennio / Epidamnos, Dyrrachion/Dyrrachium, Durrës. Greek, Roman and Byzantine Architecture of the City, Viewed from the Third Millennium Lyda Miraj

133 Conoscenza e valorizzazione del patrimonio architettonico, archeologico e ambientale. I paesaggi della regione di Fier / Knowledge and Enhancement of Architectural, Archaeological and Environmental Heritage. The Landscapes of the Region of Fier Roberta Belli Pasqua, Anna Bruna Menghini

139 Verso una dimensione strategica dello sviluppo urbano in Albania: riflessione aperta a partire dai territori di Lezha, Fushë Krujë, Thumanë e Laç / Towards a Strategic Dimension of Urban Development in Albania: Open Reflection Starting from the Territories of Lezha, Fushë Krujë, Thumanë and Laç Giuseppe De Luca, Luca Di Figlia

143 Guardare come progettare: ipotesi di un catalogo dei paesaggi albanesi / Looking and Designing: Hypothesis of a Catalog of Albanian Landscapes Giuseppe Resta

147 Un percorso tecnologico per un patrimonio architettonico (non)esposto: il caso dell’Albania / A Technological Path for a (Un)Exposed Architectural Heritage: the Case of Albania Antonella Lerario, Nicola Maiellaro e Antonietta Varasano

151 Approccio al metabolismo urbano nei piani locali in Albania / Urban Metabolism Approach in Local Plans in Albania Anisa Qorri

155 Pianificazione territoriale in Albania. Le analisi e i campi d’intervento sul territorio, le vocazioni delle città, i primi piani regolatori ispirati alla legge n. 1150/42 (1939-1943) / Territorial Planning in Albania. The Analysis and the Intervention Fields on the Territory, the City Vocations, the First Regulatory Plans Inspired to the Law n.1150/42 (1939-1943) Luciana Posca

158 BIOGRAFIE / BIOGRAPHIES estratto

Besnik J. Aliaj Da “Né Est né Ovest” a “Vogliamo l’Albania come Europa”. Riflessioni sull’Università Valerio Perna POLIS e la sua implementazione di modelli di sviluppo della resilienza in Albania / From “Neither East nor West” to “We Want Albania as Europe” Reflections on POLIS University and its implementation of resilience development models in Albania

Abstract: Since the failure of a centralized economy during the Towards transitions in Albania. From the Regime to are expressed by the critical rise of informal settlements, last three decades of transition towards a market economy, Al- ‘Bathorization’ especially in Bathore – the northern parts of the city – that bania has been facing severe political, societal, and economic ‘Neither East Nor West’ is one of the most famous quotes also gives the name to this complex process renamed changes. The process of transformation has provoked a series by former Albanian communist politician Ramiz Alia1 that Bathorization (fig. 2). This phenomenon is rooted in the of accelerations, although the country is still is struggling with past inertias. The result of such process has been a fragile and pictures, in a very precise way, the country’s foreign pol- complete denial and willingness to destroy whatever in- not yet adaptive urban environment, characterized mostly by icy and vision for a major part of the XX Century. For al- heritance of the Communist regime, even about the pub- two opposite phenomena: 1) on the one hand, the uncontrol- most 45 years, Albania has suffered one of the most lic space. In fact, during Hoxha’s time, space was owned lable growth of the informal settlements, usually blamed by the isolationist and Marxist communist dictatorships of the by ‘everyone’: private property was not allowed, and the State, but meantime accepted thorough a legal process of the whole Eastern Block2 and Alia’s slogan is useful to under- government could decide where the citizens should have formalization; 2) on the other hand, the rise of the so-called stand also the strategy of enclosure that was gradually ac- lived according to the workforce needed by State. What ‘turbo architecture’ phenomena, an almost schizophrenic design tuated by the State: for the first three decades, Albania happened is that, while the nation was struggling to shift trend that naively tried to recompose the fracture between a new gradually broke every external relationship with all the towards democracy, cities such as Tirana suffered a eclectic opening towards “western” formal influences, and the need to preserve one’s private space. other Communist countries. Firstly, a separation from strong immigration flux from all the rest of the country, In opposition to that, since early 90s, the work philosophy of the Tito’s Yugoslavia that was accused by the dictator Enver and every new settler was aiming for a piece of his own Co-Plan Institute – the founding origin of POLIS University - Hoxha of planning an invasion of the country to annex it private space and aggressively colonized the public one aimed for activating bottom-up dynamics in the urban space to the sphere of influence of the Jugoslavian Republic; in every way, through gates, fences, and walls (Dhamo through fostering participatory processes that could engage secondly, a major break up the Soviet Union related to di- 2012, 2018; Dhamo, Thomaj, Aliaj 2016). communities and public agencies towards more sustainable vergences of the applied Communist model and then, in The reaction from the public authority was neither fast nor transformations. Despite the undeniable success of this re- the end, an estrangement from the Mao’s People’s Re- appropriate; the entire state apparatus was still related to search and practice, the last years have seen the rise of new public of China that was also accused to be betraying the centralized, top-down practices and did not manage to problems that are currently and strongly testing the physical spaces of the Albanian cities and their capacities to adapt and precepts of the proletarian revolution. comprehend and catalyze positively this behavioral pat- survive in the years to come. The destructive earthquake of Because of this gradual closure, during those times, citi- tern of the lower fragments of the population that, still November 2019 was just the latest demonstration of a series of zens were not allowed to have any agency in the central- nowadays, is a silence accepted growth model. tangible – and intangible – critical points (including flooding, ized state’s decision-making process and, every single On the other hand, in regards to other parts of the popu- fires, pollution, financial shocks, etc.) that urged POLIS / Co- concession was anything but fake and deceptive. Further- lation, this first democratic decade, the rapid injection of PLAN staff to develop new resilient and adaptive models where more, after the 90s collapse, the shift to a ‘Democratic Al- capital fostered an alternative attitude that tried to chase the city – and the territory at large – is not seen as a static en- bania’ was characterized by the total absence of any external trends. The so-called Turbo Architecture (Weiss tity but as evolutive spaces and dynamic actors able to reorga- community practice of bottom-up collective procedures, 2005) was a not critical attempt to introject Western in- nize themself and not simply to survive, but to ensure a resilient Albania for the challenges of the 21st century. and everything thing that was related to the common and fluences and to mark a separation from the dictatorial In this contribution, we will present the work of POLIS Univer- public good – and participatory planning procedures as past. The results were a series of eclectic pastiche of Eu- sity and Co-Plan Institute – as resilient institutions themselves well – was deemed as unnecessary and a reminiscence ropean influences that generated colorful urban monsters – towards the development of new development models for 21st of the Communist model. completely detached from the structure of cities and set- century Albania. From the get-go, we didn’t want to frame our The history of the capital Tirana represents a good exam- tlements; an uncontrollable amount of neo-classical/mod- reflection only under one perspective, but we aimed for pre- ple to understand how some of the current problems of ernist citations that didn’t generate any kind of urbanity senting the different synergic strategies that we have been de- the country’s spatial situation had generated, and but, on the contrary, strengthened more than before this veloping to address several issues (political, architectural, spatial, environmental, etc.) and for using this paper as a self- schizophrenically developed a chain of reactions that still ‘archipelago’ of small and introverted post-communist pri- reflective moment to define where we currently stand, and which propagates nowadays. Among four identified major his- vate spaces. future path we can set to develop a positive resilience agenda. torical phases3 (Aliaj, Dhamo, Shutina 2010), we will focus The second decade of democracy was able to set more on the last two that are closer to us and more related to stable conditions for the country and to guarantee a our paper and work: 1990-2000 - The Third Re-Founda- growth at 6% per annum even though Albania is still today tion: the ‘bathorization of Albania and the rise of a new one of the countries with lower GDP5 of the European/Bal- metropolitan brand’; 2000-to date: The ‘Re-foundation of canic area (IMF 2019). Urban Planning’. Despite these positive perspectives, the economic crisis of The first one was characterized by a fast and volatile tran- 2010 and the political ‘stabilocracy’ – a sequence of un- sition to a pluralist state and a severe social and stagnant stable and unpopular political decisions and maneuvers – economic face, exacerbated by a series of disorders. marked a slowdown in the economic and democratic Firstly, the so-called shock therapy 4 that, promoted by In- growth of the country. ternational forces, generated a stronger discrepancy be- Although Albania is a member of NATO since 2009, and tween the richer and poorer part of the population; during the last two months has officially been given the secondly, the 1997 social unrest caused by the collapse of possibility to start the negotiations to join the EU6, the cir- the fraudulent pyramidal investment schemes; and, lately, cular processes of depopulation have started challenging the bloody Kosovo War (1999) with approximately 1 mil- again the fragility of the domestic society and economy. lion refugees that flooded Albania. Such similar uncertain conditions – either social, eco- From a spatial and urban point of view, these conditions nomic, and political – are picturing a similar scenario to

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the one that during the 90s fostered the birth of Co-Plan, mitments of communities actors, it is impossible to lower Institute for Habitat Development – the founding origin of the ‘social community pressure’ that these people are liv- POLIS University – which aimed for activating bottom-up ing and to activate a process that is directed towards long- dynamics in the urban space through fostering participa- term solutions rather than to short-term ‘make-up’ tory processes that could engage communities and pub- procedures destined to fail. lic agencies towards more sustainable transformations. The principles of this toolkit are, named steps of realistic At this point, if we want to understand how POLIS Uni- community-based planning, are directed and operative versity is trying to implement new resilient and adaptive and, each of them underlines a concrete practice that can urban models, it is useful to highlight some of the princi- consequently lead to the next one to reach the final goal ples rooted in the work of Co-Plan, that are still today for of the process: a sustainable and resilient design phase. In us cornerstones to develop a resilient model for the Alba- our vision, the term resilient has a very precise connota- nia of the 21st Century. tion and wants a design pattern where the direct involve- ment of the citizenships – through injection of innovation Some Notes on Co-Plan. Resilient community procedures under the form of approaches, technology, and solutions in magmatic times – trigger swiftly re-adaptable and flexible alternatives. Co-Plan, Institute for Habitat Development was founded in Among many principles, we want to highlight some of the 1993, and configures itself as a non-profit organization ones that deeply relates also to work currently ongoing at with the main of fostering good practices for urban gov- POLIS University and that are useful to define our multi- ernance and a bottom-up approach for sustainable devel- scalar operative mode: opment in Albania.7 After starting a Dutch financed - Entering the area – Establish the first contacts at neigh- program for one of the poorer and more conflictual sub- borhood via recommended trustable key persons, urban areas of Tirana, Co-Plan rapidly imposed itself as - Start-up workshop – Work with community leaders and one of the most important actors in the Albanian trans- representatives of the local CBO to identify and explain formation process through the weapons of innovative main neighborhood development problems; urban participated planning and, after some first suc- - Work with vulnerable groups – Invest in strengthen- cessful experiences, started operating its ground activi- ing women, youth, and children groups, which have ties back in the 1993-1999 period. not the best position in such communities but play a As a first challenge, Co-Plan tried to face an uncontrolled significant role; growth of 200 hectares per year through a series of in- - Be brave to draft legal and political platforms of struments and principle that create a middle point be- transformations; tween the two ruinous paths followed by the government: - Monitor periodically the development process in long on the one hand, a soft control system of the territorial terms – This can be done by NGOs, academia, or even control and, on the other hand, a hard one made of top- municipalities. down prescriptions and limitations. At this point, after delineating the general context in which Co-Plan direction has always followed a hybrid model that we operate – and the former experience that constituted bends together research, analysis, and design phase and the core of our practices – we can present the work of kicks-off what we can define as inclusive planning. With POLIS University as a vector of change in the Albanian so- the latter, we intended a soft-medium planning level where cial, political, and academic model. the citizens’ participation is guaranteed by a market economy model through who barely survives in an informal POLIS University. How to live pro-actively in unstable one, could have access to a more protective formal one. times The first steps of Co-Plan actions were taken in the muddy Co-Plan and Polis are perfect examples of synergies gen- and poor peripheries of the capital Tirana (Breglumasi erated among the local actors and international develop- neighborhood at Lapraka, Tirana Municipality; and ment assistance and through a multi-scalar approach that Bathore neighborhood at Kamza Municipality, Tirana re- binds together, at the same time, many different strate- gion) aiming to organize communities in addressing prob- gies and approaches. lems of public spaces, social disarray, and health or POLIS University9 International School of Architecture education. Considering the situation of Albania in those and Urban Development Policies was founded in 2006, 1 Portuguese satirical map of Europe times, the act of involving local communities to activate after the previous liberalization of the educational sector that pictures the Cold War situation. with them sustainable and resilient practices was a revo- promoted by the Albanian Government. After more than Russia, portrayed as a ringmaster, forces the Soviet satellite states to lutionary step in the history of the country. This part of one decade of precious and successful work in many dif- entertain spectators in Western Europe the population was constantly outside every kind of gov- ficult situations of the country, the founders of Co-Plan10 and the Americas. Also, Albania is ernmental interest and was slowly condemned to live in decided that time had come to start thinking on how to present and represented outside of the Eastern side of the Iron Curtain. ghetto conditions while the heart of the city was restoring develop new generations of Albanian professionals that 2 Spatial effect of ‘Bathorization’ in the ourselves through artistic and spatial operations. could push forward the researches they started several northern area of Tirana between Paskuqan Differently from every other similar organization, what Co- years ago. At that time, a University seemed to the best and Bathore, November 2018. Plan succeeded to create was a flexible and operative option to be able to join together a strong research-ori- 3 View of Tirana’s city center. In this image, it is possible to results of the ‘new toolkit that – under the common flag of a series of strong ented approach with a practical and hands-on framework metropolitan brand’ phenomenon. Several principles – could be able to generate tangible actions and that could use transmit to the future students a Research high-rise buildings are irreversibly results and gain the trust of inhabitants of the informal through Design11 (RtD) grounded approach (Zimmerman, changing the image of the city. areas and, under certain aspects, empowers Lisa Horelli’s Forlizzi, Evenson 2007, 2010). model8 (Horelli 2002) with a more site-specific grounded The methodological approach remained bottom-up and community-based approach. That is a very important step with a strong inner social, political, and human connota- of the whole model because, without the trust and com- tion and today configure itself as a space for thinking in

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Each of these steps is rooted in a stronger research framework dealing with the topic of Innovation for which, at POLIS, also an interdepartmental unit – INNOVA- TION_Factory (IF) – has been established during the last years. In the University’s philosophy, innovation as an ‘ev- eryday practice’ (Resnik, Spillane, Goldman, Rangel 2010) and, differently from improvement – which is about ‘do- ing things better’ –, stands for the creation of an idea and or a method to implement and that, in our idea, covers from the macro to the micro-scale. The recent events happening during the last six months have generated of series of ‘crises’ that pushed POLIS University to a ‘future leap’ comparable to the ones that were done after the fall of the Communist Regime. In November 2019, a major nightly earthquake severely hit Albania. With its epicenter just outside Durrës, the 6.4 the fields of sustainable design, engineering, and territo- Richter scale event generated critical damages and inse- rial policies, including technology development, civic lead- curity in the Albanian population and spaces. The slow re- ership, and private entrepreneurship. The mission of Polis sponses of the state apparatus were overcome by a quick today is to provide knowledge, technology, and leadership action that brought the staff in a site-specific work in the for people, encouraging development and innovation, most damaged areas using some of the principles that, through the engagement of several worldwide young aca- inherited from Co-Plan, have always been part of the DNA demics (among which many Italians) perfectly inserted in of POLIS. the dynamic academic framework. Interviews with the citizens, many surveys together with As stated by many international colleagues and aca- our partners from New Zealand, and laboratory model re- demics, U_Polis takes on an original model in the field of search have produced a set of suggestions that are con- education not only in the Albanian panorama but also tained in a Strategic Manifesto that has been published in concerning longer-time established academic realities. December 2019.12 In it are contained a series of indica- Through applied and scientific research, through aca- tors that highlight some strong principles to develop more demic and practical teaching, Polis today develops and resilient and adaptable spaces against natural disasters. promotes scientific excellence and innovation, and has The approach used to follow a ‘glocal’ philosophy: an been defined as a clear example of a pure Lean Start-up event is studied on a macro-scale to highlight its consti- 4 The bioclimatic atrium designed in Innovation Approach in the educational field (Nientied, tutional elements, and then a series of principles is ex- 2010-12 by POLIS’s design firm: 2015), and as a model of how in a University framework trapolated, applied, and modified according to the specific MetroPolis. a “synergistic relationship between Research, Design, situation of the country. 5 The main facade of POLIS University. and Teaching […] was truly realized” (Saggio, in Bre- The result is a circular operative model that is currently gasi 2020, p.24). ongoing not only through on-site implementation but has The impact of first the 15 years of work at POLIS has also set the ground to new injections to our educational propagated in the whole Western Balkans area and, program to instill in our students a more responsive and through a series of concrete and realized designed pro- crisis-related way of thinking. From this side, what we un- posal – as well as new legislations drafts – has defined derstood is fundamental in ‘times of crisis’ is to develop both POLIS and Co-Plan as resilient institutions them- a systemic approach that puts together theoretical re- selves towards the rise of new development models for search, its practical application, and specific generative the 21st century Albania. tools. Generative is, indeed, a keyword for us: we believe Moreover, the last event of 2019 and 2020, respectively, in methodology made of strong principles that could help a 6.4 Richter earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, has the students to ground their work into a well-defined ref- generated an acceleration leap for both of them like has al- erence system but at the same time can empower them ways happened in times of severe crisis. with the freedom to explore their desires and interests. We work to create ‘design cycles’ where every one of them A resilient agenda. Thought on Albania to come and fur- is part of a consequential chain of generative ‘what-if’ ther discussions questions loops; from every cycle, the students produce The several interrelations between POLIS University and an outcome that will be transferred and empowered in the the external rapidly changing world we inhabit have been following one opening new research insights and reflec- expressed in several publications and events. Among the tions that could also trigger changes in the already dis- many, we want to mention the ‘Albanian 2030’ Manifesto cussed loops. Through this specific approach, we are sure (Aliaj, Janku, Allkja, Dhamo 2014), which tries to sum- that we can educate future generations of designers that marize for the first time in Albania some theoretical-prac- sees resilience as an inner quality of every design solu- tical bases and concrete ideas, over the issues of tions and not just a brand, which reveals itself ineffective spatial-territorial visioning, planning and development; after external outputs; we aim for our students to be able and the participation to the XXI Triennale di Milano – De- to ‘design the future’ and to speculate on possible sce- sign after Design – that wanted to disseminate critical re- narios with a solid methodology at hand. flections regarding the role of future designers in shaping The same approach was used even now during the a world continuously challenged by environmental, social, COVID-19 crises. Following the strict lockdown measured and political crisis. implemented in Albania since March 9th, the whole Insti-

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tution has faced the challenge to adapt flexibly to a com- approach involves the designing of experimental artifacts as means pletely new way of teaching that has not been experi- of raising interesting scientific questions and answering them: as mented before. The whole experience has produced John Zimmerman noted ‘design is a process but also a form of research’. another strategic document – U_POLIS Quantum Leap 12. Dokument Pozicionimi: Rindërtimi I Qytetit Pas Krizës - 13 2020 – that kicked off a new debate on which elements Vetëripërtëritja (Resilence) Urbane Pas Tërmetit, edited by: Univer- of the current crisis we can pro-actively used and make siteti POLIS I Co-PLAN, Instituti për Zhvillimin e Habitatit I A.U.A - part of an resilient Albanian model for the University, the Unioni Shqiptar I Arkitektëve, Urbanistëve dhe Planifikuesve. Fur- city, and the Albanian society-at-large. As we stated in the thermore, after this document, the Today’s Challenges of Construc- abstract of this paper, from the get-go we didn’t want to tion Industry and Resilience to Natural Hazards, International frame our reflection only under one perspective, but we Symposium was organized in Tirana by the Department of Architec- ture and Civil Engineering - POLIS University in December 2019. aimed for presenting the different synergic strategies that 13. Kriza e Covid-19 Si “Quantum Leap” I Universitetit Polis Për Dix- we have been developing to address several issues (po- hitalizim Ekselencë Dhe Ndërkombëtarizim Akademik E Kërkimor, litical, architectural, spatial, environmental, etc.) and for April 2020. using this paper as a self-reflective moment to define where we currently stand. Bibliography During these years of work and recurring crises, we vali- 1. Antonino Saggio, Ledian Bregasi, Ricerca Progetto Didattica. Tre dated our daily routine that it is rooted in a ‘try something aree sinergiche nella migliore Scuola di architettura in Albania, in as small as possible initially, then learn and improve to- Orazio Carpenzano, Roberto A. Cherubini, Anna Irene Del Monaco, a wards bigger and higher scale’ approach. We learned how cura di, DiAP nel mondo. Visioni Internazionali, Sapienza Università to build-measure-learn from every situation, considering Editrice, Roma, 2020, pp.23-37. 2. Besnik Aliaj, Keida Lulo, Genc Myftiu, Tirana, the Challenge of the design loop ‘not-closed’ but circular, indeed able to Urban Development, Co-Plan and Seda, Tirana, 2003. close cycles just to open new ones that could reboot the 3. Besnik Aliaj, Sotir Dhamo, Dritan Shutina, Between Energy and the process again. The constant awareness that we develop Vacuum, POLIS_Press, Tirana, 2010. through almost two decades has been possible only 4. Besnik Aliaj, Eranda Janku, Ledio Allkja, Sotir Dhamo, Manifesto through defining some untouchable pillars of our vision: Albania 2030; a Spatial Planning and National Development vision, being independent, being legitimate, and being sustain- POLIS_Press, Tirana, 2014. able/resilient to the external world. 5. IMF, Annual Report, 2009. 6. John Zimmerman, Jody Forlizzi, Shelley Evenson, Research through design as a method for interaction design research in HCI, Notes in CHI ‘07 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors 1. Ramiz Tafë Alia (18 October 1925-7 October 2011) was the second in Computing Systems, ACM Digital Library, New York, 2007, and last leader of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania from 1985 pp.493-502. to 1991. He was also designated as successor by Enver Hoxha and 7. John Zimmerman, Jody Forlizzi, Shelley Evenson, An analysis and took power after Hoxha died in 1985. critique of Research through Design: towards a formalization of a re- 6 Students’ presentations at the 2. Albanian has suffered an aggressive Communist Dictatorship from search approach, in DIS ‘10 Proceedings of the 8th ACM Conference 1946 to 1992. During this period it has been internationally known INNOVATION_Factory space during the on Designing Interactive Systems, ACM Digital Library, New York, as Popular Republic of Albania (Republika Popullore e Shqipërisë, Advanced Studio in Architecture and pp.310-319. 1946-1976), to became then the Social Republic of Albania (Repub- Information Technology (ASA&IT) class 8. Kristo Frashëri, History of Tirana as a city till 1920, vol.1, Toena lika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, 1976-1992). Emblematic figure 2018/2019 (Professors: Ph.D. Valerio Publications, Tirana, 2004. of those times was dictator Enver Halil Hoxha (1908-1985) that run Perna, Ph.D. candidate Gerdi Papa, MsC Asdren Sela). the country under the variant of anti-revisionist Marxism–Leninism 9. Lauren B. Resnick, James P. Spillane, Pam Goldman, Elizabeth S. Rangel, Implementing innovation: from visionary models to every- 7 Desk Crits during the ASA&IT class defined as Hoxhaism. For futher information regarding the history of 2018/2019. Topic of the year: Tirana | the country: Aliaj, Lulo, Myftiu 2003; Frashëri 2014. day practice, in Benavides Francisco, Hanna Dumont, a cura di, Edu- cational Research and Innovation The Nature of Learning: Using Plug-In River – Playful design strategies 3. The two phases that are not mentioned are: 1922-1944: la Monar- for the river Tirana. Guest Juror: Professor Research to Inspire Practice (Education Research and Innovation), chy and the ‘First Re-Foundation’; 1944-1990: the centrazied Econ- Sotir Dhamo. omy and the ‘Second Re-Foundation’. OECD Publishing, Parigi, 2010, pp.285-315. 4. For Shock Therapy (Klein 2007) we refer to a sudden release of 10. Liisa Horelli, A methodology of participatory planning, in Robert price and currency controls and immediate trade liberalization within B. Bechtel, Arza Churchman, a cura di, Handbook of Environmental a country which is also related to a large-scale privatization of the for- Psychology, Wiley, New York, 2002, pp.607-628. mer public asset. 11. Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine, Random House of Canada, 5. In 2019 the nominal GDP per capita was of $5,373 (97th in the Toronto, 2007. nominal GDP per capita rank), while the PPP corrensponded to 12. Srdjan Jovanovi Weiss, What was Turbo Architecture, in Srdjan $13,991 (93th in the PPP GDP rank) Jovanovi Weiss, a cura di, Almost Architecture, kuda.nao, merz.soli- 6. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-balkans/eu-moves-to-start- tude, Stoccarda, 2006, p.28. membership-talks-with-albania-north-macedonia-draft- 13. Sotir Dhamo, Tirana dhe roli i “imagjinatës urbane” në trans- idUSKBN21A1AA formimin e saj. Nga gjenezat tek modeli metropolitan, in “FORUM 7. For further information about Co-Plan you can visit its website – A+P”, vol. 10, 2012. http://www.co-plan.org/, En – and read the Italian interview made by 14. Sotir Dhamo, Gjergji Thomai, Besnik Aliaj, Tirana, qyteti i nITRogroup in 2013 to its current director Dr. Dritan Shutina munguar, POLIS_Press, Tirana, 2016. (https://onnoffmagazine.com/2013/10/12/territorial-development-in- 15. Sotir Dhamo, Specific realities and new hypotheses for urban albania-the-role-of-co-plan/ https://grimshaw.global/projects/tirana- analyses and urban design - Tirana as a case study, developed in the master-plan/) framework of the PhD program in architecture and urban planning 8. Horelli’s metholodogical scheme composed itself of five major between POLIS and Ferrara Universities, 2018. points: 1) initiation of the project. 2) planning and design, 3) implementation, 4) evaluation and research, 5) maintenance. 9. https://www.universitetipolis.edu.al Illustrations 10. Beside of the current director Dr. Dritan Shutina, the other 3 All the images are from the author’s photo archive except for: founders of Co-Plan were: Full Professor PhD Besnik Aliaj, Dr. Doc. 1. Source: The British Library. Sotir Dhamo, and Doc. Gazmend Haxhia. 2. Photo: Kejsi Kazdeda. 11. Research through Design is a methodology included in the field 3. https://cdn.turismo.al/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Vista-della- of design research and it is focused on the use of design practice as citt%C3%A0-di-Tirana-Albania-750x375.jpg a form of scientific inquiry and investigation. In other words, an RtD 7 Photo: Valerio Perna.

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Il libro esplora una serie di temi rilevanti per l’Albania, dalla valorizzazione e tutela del patrimonio storico, culturale e paesaggistico ai recenti sviluppi architettonici e urbanistici nel paese. Da analisi e studi condotti con il prezioso contributo di esperti della cultura albanese emergono riflessioni critiche sulle prospettive future del territorio nel terzo millennio. A tal fine, la pubblicazione è stata suddivisa in tre temi principali: architettura, città e territori, che corrispondono alle tre scale rappresentative delle trasformazioni contemporanee in Albania.

This book explores topics relevant to Albania, from the enhancement and protection of its historical, cultural, and landscape heritage to the recent architectural and urban developments in the country. The analyses and studies, which were conducted with precious contributions from Albanian culture scholars, offer critical reflections on the prospects of the territory in the third millennium. To this end, the publication has been divided into three main themes: architecture, cities, and territories, which correspond to the three representative scales of contemporary transformations in Albania.

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