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Mario Cucinella Architects (MC A) has just received the go-ahead for the Ekspozita Building, an urban oasis in the center of Tirana, Albania. Comprising commercial, residential and public amenity spaces, the 93m tall mixed-use statement building is scheduled for completion by 2023.
With construction works starting in 2020, the Ekspozita Building takes on an unusual form with a partially encircled green space. Inspired by the lack of open areas in the city, MC A, an architectural firm with offices in Bologna and New York, has imagined a mixed-use development with a central green oasis.
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Courtesy of Mario Cucinella Architects
“Generous planting to the residential upper floors enhances the sense of a green oasis, while the inward-facing balconies give a feeling of enclosure and protection from the busy city”. In order to generate more public spaces, the design proposed to cut off the angles of the plot. The green courtyard opens to the south, onto the tree-lined Blv Gergi Fishta, one of Tirana’s major roads. 24-story high, the building’s ground floor, occupying only 44% of the plot, will be used as a nursery/kindergarten.
As the building rises upwards, it withdraws back into itself, creating the smaller footprints that are most suitable for residential use. A ‘notch’ in the rear of the building provides a diagonal route through, dividing the two sides of commercial development on the ground floor and offering permeability to the site. — Mario Cucinella Architects
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Courtesy of Mario Cucinella Architects
Fitting into a humid climate, the Ekspozita Building is highly insulated. Solar shading minimizes heat in the glazed building during summer times, while large terraces to the apartments act as passive solar regulators. With these strategies, the building aims to use 30% less energy than other, comparable developments.
The National RailwayMuseum and Malcolm Reading Consultants revealed the final concepts for the new Central Hall, created by five small to medium-sized international and UK practices. Shortlisted in November 2019, the 5 teams include a collaboration between 6a architects from UK and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen from Belgium, Atelier d’Architecture Philippe Prost from France, Carmody Groarke from the UK, Feilden Fowles from the UK, and Heneghan Peng Architects from Ireland.
Located on a site dominated by railway heritage and infrastructure from the mid- to late-19th century, in proximity to the center of York, the museum is one of the most famous attractions in the UK. Scheduled for opening in 2025, in time for the gallery’s 50th anniversary, the proposed project will enhance the status of the existing structure that will become the world’s railway museum, with an estimated 1.2 million visitors annually.
In fact, the new 4,500 sqm Central Hall will “transform the visitor arrival experience with an appealing and compelling entrance space, integrating the museum estate for the first time in its history”. Hosting a 1,000 sqm gallery, the building will also showcase innovative technology and introduce the museum’s world-class collection.
I am very pleased to share the five design concepts for our new Central Hall which will showcase our collection and future innovations from the rail industry in an inspirational, purpose-built gallery.[…]I encourage people to visit and to share their feedback. Although the final designs are some way off, the winning team will go on to create the final building which will be the cultural focal point at the heart of York Central — Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum
With a brief that requested the creation of an environmentally sustainable and contextually sensitive Central Hall, the finalist teams were able to develop their design, during 3 months after the selection process. In fact, they were chosen from a field of 76 entries, based only on their past experience and team composition.
I am thrilled with the responses from all the finalist teams, which have exceeded our expectations in their variety and imagination.[…]All five have offered intriguing takes on form and materials which respond to the brief in different ways, ranging from curvilinear to rectilinear shapes; which are by turns, strongly colored, sensory and tactile.[…] I am particularly pleased that all five teams have taken seriously our ambition to create a sustainable building, which will be open for all, and be part of the landscape of this historic site. — Karen Livingstone, Science Museum Group Director of Master plan and Estate
On another hand, the public will be able to share his thoughts and ideas about the projects on display at an exhibition at York’s National RailwayMuseum, until Sunday 23 February. The winner of the Competition will be revealed in March 2020.
Archy Naija 