Bjarke Ingels Group wins Tirana Fountain Plaza design competition

The Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has won the international competition for the Fountain Plaza Tirana project in Albania. The proposed mixed-use complex is designed to integrate residential units, office spaces, a hotel, and cultural facilities.

Rather than a traditional building that occupies parkland, the design features a structure resembling a cloud floating above the Rinia Park. The building is elevated on a dense network of slender white columns, intended to mimic reeds and free up the ground level for pedestrian movement, public activities, and greenery. The design also includes an ‘inverted fountain’ where water falls like rain.

The project is slated for the site currently occupied by the Taiwan Center and Taiwan Pool. BIG founder Bjarke Ingels stated that the goal was to reimagine urban life in three dimensions, creating a ‘cloud of homes’ that enhances rather than diminishes the existing public space.