Coordinates: 41°19′27″N 19°49′26″E / 41.32412°N 19.82386°E / 41.32412; 19.82386

Downtown One

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Downtown One
Map
General information
StatusUnder construction
TypeMixed-use, Residential, Office
LocationTirana, Albania
AddressBajram Curri Boulevard
Coordinates41°19′27″N 19°49′26″E / 41.32412°N 19.82386°E / 41.32412; 19.82386
Construction started2019
Topped-out2020
Completed2024 (scheduled)
Height
Roof140 m (460 ft)
Technical details
Structural systemConcrete
Floor count40 (+5 underground)
Floor area77,000 m2 (829,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)MVRDV
Structural engineerLEAL & Arup
Main contractorKastrati Group
Website
Official Website

Downtown One Tirana is a high-rise mixed-use skyscraper under construction in Tirana, Albania, currently serving as the tallest building in the country.[1] The tower was topped out in 2020 and stands at 140 meters (459 ft) tall, being divided into 40 floors. The official opening is expected to take place in 2024.[2][3]

Upon its completion, the tower is set to contain the functions of a hotel, serviced apartments and offices.[4][5] It was the first building in Albania certified with a LEED precertification on the gold level.[6]

Architecture

Concept and construction

Downtown One seen from Rinia Park with Hotel Dajti in the foreground.

MVRDV, the main architecture firm responsible for the backstage planning of the tower has started the visionary concept on Downtown One as a 140-metre tall mixed-use tower aiming to become Albania’s tallest building. The most striking element of the 40-storey tower is its relief of cantilevered houses and offices, which form a pixelated ‘map’ of Albania, each representing a town or city, turning this building into an icon in the heart of capital Tirana. Completion of the building, which was designed for developer Kastrati Construction, is expected in 2024.[1][7]

Downtown One was envisioned as an expression celebrating the progress of Albania. The location of the landmark was planned for central Tirana on the Bajram Curri Boulevard, to the south of the Lana River. On its principle façades, the 140-metre rectilinear tower features a series of cantilevered houses and offices, forming a relief pattern on the building’s surface. Every house or office represents a village or town, so that when viewed from a distance, these cantilevers form an abstracted map of Albania. The importance of the cantilevers was not only set to be iconographic by themselves. For the occupants of the building, the projecting bay windows were designed to offer spectacular panoramic views of the city and the mountains, while the terraces created enable communication and connection between residents to give the feeling of a vertical village. The tower's design aimed to determine the residents to also be able to identify their home by reference to the geography of the Albania. The architects managed to create a scenario in this case, thinking "somebody will live in the ‘Tirana pixel’, somebody else in the ‘Durrës pixel’, and so on".[1][7]

At its base is a park (Parku 7 Xhuxhat) with local vegetation and an educational playground, while the inside of the building is divided into several layers: above the ground floor commercial spaces and underground parking, the lower half of the tower is devoted to office space, while apartments occupy the top 18 floors. MVRDV Architects believed Albania is a region with tremendous potential for progressive development. The tower is just a short distance from another project created by MVRDV, the Pyramid of Tirana. In both projects, the Rotterdam office seeked local architects and engineers as partners, and worked with them according to the latest BIM guidelines. As the area is earthquake-prone, work was carried out according to the strictest European building standards and quality. MVRDV designed Downtown One on behalf of Kastrati Construction, a company of Kastrati Group. Arup was the supervisor for structure and MEP, with Albanian firms Elteknik as MEP engineers and LEAL as structural engineers. The local partner and co-architect was Albanian firm DEA Studio.[1][8]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downtown One.
  1. ^ a b c d "MVRDV - Albania's tallest building, MVRDV's Downtown One, tops out in Tirana". Mvrdv.nl. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  2. ^ "MVRDV - Downtown One Tirana". www.mvrdv.nl. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  3. ^ "Dokumenti i Rregullores së Veçantë" (PDF). 10 June 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Downtown One Tirana". CTBUH Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  5. ^ "DT1 Project Broshure" (PDF). Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Kastrati Group | Downtown one". Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  7. ^ a b "Downtown One - MVRDV". architectmagazine.com. Architect Magazine. March 25, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Levy, Natasha (February 15, 2019). "MVRDV designs Albania's tallest building with pixelated facade". Dezeen. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
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