Another central area of Tirana, well-known to citizens as the “Circus” area, will be revitalized thanks to a contemporary project that will be selected through an international competition featuring six architecture studios. Of these, five are new to the Albanian public but bring extensive experience from their respective countries and around the world.

In the presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the projects are being presented by representatives of the studios: COBE from Denmark; GO HASEGAWA & Associates from Japan; GROUPWORK from the United Kingdom; L’AUC from France; NIETO SOBEJANO from Spain; and ARCHEA Associati from Italy — after which the winning project will be announced.

At the start of the presentations, Prime Minister Rama addressed those in attendance with a greeting.

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In a very short span of time, we find ourselves back here for another international competition — this time, a competition initiated by the very entity seeking to carry out a major development in the center of Tirana. As we have done in previous instances, we insisted that this development be subjected to a competition process. And so, here we are, together with a jury whose prestige stems from the presence of truly exceptional architects — individuals who are not merely guests from abroad, but also key figures behind significant urban development transformations in our country through their projects.

At the same time, while thanking the jury members who accepted our invitation to assist us in reaching a well-reasoned judgment, I also wish to express my gratitude to all the studios that applied. A considerable number of studios submitted applications, and of course, I want to wish success to the studios present here today, who have been selected for this final stage.

This is another important milestone we aim to place along the new path our country is pursuing — a path where Tirana serves as the “locomotive” of an epochal transformation. This has been made possible thanks to the developments that have drawn in an extraordinary number of international architects, while also creating exceptional opportunities for local architects — for all the young women and men who are passionate about architecture and practice this profession.

They now have the chance to live in a country that today resembles an open “university,” benefiting not only from competitions like this one but also from partnerships with major international studios — allowing access to invaluable knowledge gained through interaction with outstanding professionals in this field and through the exploration of endless creative possibilities.

I won’t go on any further. Once again, I want to wish all the participating studios the best of luck, and at the same time, I hope that — as has fortunately been the case so far — the jury will make the right choice.

Thank you very much.