Tirana: Architectural Guide

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The architecture of the Albanian capital is presented for the first time in this guide as a collection of 100 buildings that represent the construction of the city in the modern period, starting with the countrys declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.

Today, Tirana is a fusion of elements from Ottoman architecture, early twentieth-century bourgeois architecture, fascist totalitarianism and socialist realism, within a post-socialist and contemporary architectural framework that is becoming increasingly important as a result of a renovation policy that seeks to promote economic development and Western integration through the use of architectural tools and the design of public spaces. Whether you are an architect or simply a city lover, this collection of architecture will take you on an exotic Byronic journey through the heart of a lively Mediterranean city that has recently become a tourist destination. The guide is divided into seven chapters, corresponding to the main street areas included in the radial city morphology.

Author Bio

Eled Fagu PhD architect graduated at the University of Architecture in Florence. Engaged in teaching since 2006, from 2011 he is a full-time professor at the Polytechnic University of Tirana and lector of the Theory of Architecture and Architectural Design Studios. The growing interest on totalitarian architecture and urbanism led to his contribution on the recent de-bate on the Albanian architectural con-text. Fagu held different lectures on totalitarianism in architecture for faculty students in Tirana and Genova, but also for high school students as part of educational programs organized by Institute for the Studies of Communist Crimes and Consequences in Albania. In 2009 he founded E-ARCH Design Studio for architecture and urban planning.