Source: Designboom
Images by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
In an era where urban spaces often struggle to balance high-density construction with accessible public life, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has delivered a masterclass in civic innovation. Securing victory in the high-profile Fountain Plaza Tirana competition, BIG’s winning proposal does not merely construct a building, it reinvents how public space, community infrastructure, and natural surroundings coexist.
Rethinking the Plaza: The Exclusive BIG Design Prowess
Traditional plaza design typically treats buildings and open space as separate entities: a solid structure sits alongside a flat paved surface. BIG shatters this convention by pioneering an approach where architecture and landscape operate as a singular, unified system. Instead of consuming precious urban land, the project lifts its core building volumes entirely off the ground. Supported by a dense grid of slender, cane-like columns, the design leaves the ground plane completely open, allowing pedestrians and surrounding greenery to flow seamlessly beneath the footprint. This fluid permeability transforms what would normally be a residual shadow zone into a generous, sheltered public park.
Reinventing Public Space, Community, and Environment
BIG’s winning concept treats the competition site as an active, continuous ecosystem. By elevating the main structure, the proposal creates a sheltered outdoor realm that houses essential community facilities, including an open-access library and a covered public auditorium designed for collective gatherings. The architectural framework integrates environmental design at every level:
- Natural Light & Shading: Setback upper floors allow sunlight to cascade into the covered auditorium while providing planting space for lush vegetation.
- Microclimatic Integration: The design actively incorporates the adjacent canal as a functional environmental component, utilizing the waterway to enhance the microclimate and natural cooling of the site.
- Urban Connectivity: Reaching far beyond its immediate site boundaries, the project envisions pedestrianizing the neighboring traffic corridor to extend the public park seamlessly into the broader city texture.
One Architectural Framework That Explores More
At the heart of BIG’s design philosophy is the ability to consolidate multi-layered urban demands into a cohesive structure. The project balances contrasting visual and spatial forces: a light, translucent facade floats above slender, tree-like columns, achieving a delicate, cloud-like appearance. By merging cultural programs, public transit routes, water features, and green canopy into one overarching architectural framework, the design demonstrates how a single development can satisfy spatial, social, and environmental needs simultaneously.
Elevating Albanian Architecture to the Global Stage
Tirana has rapidly become a vibrant canvas for modern international architecture. BIG’s victory introduces a key milestone in this evolution, helping transition Albania’s architectural narrative from local revitalization into a globally recognized benchmark. By demonstrating how ambitious design can prioritize public generousness over private enclosure, this project positions Albania as a forward-thinking hub for cutting-edge urban design.
Global Lessons: Building and Landscape Operating as One
Architects worldwide stand to learn a crucial lesson from the Fountain Plaza Tirana project: the ground plane belongs to the city. By proving that a building can “float” to preserve continuous green and public space, BIG offers a blueprint for dense metropolitan areas globally. It shifts the architectural paradigm from constructing isolated icons to crafting holistic, porous environments that respond directly to human scale, urban connectivity, and environmental conditions.
Project Info:
Name: Fountain Plaza Tirana
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Location: Tirana, Albania
Competition Support: AKPT & Atelier Albania
Editorial Note: At Buildace Magazine, we publish this feature in good faith, with full attribution to Designboom as the primary source for the original project coverage. We celebrate the design prowess and unmatched creativity of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as they continue to shape the future of global architecture.
Alex Kabiru
Architecture Editor, Buildace Magazine