MediTirana Designing Circular Markets

What is the image of one of Europe’s fastest growing cities?
How can we design for the benefit of the local population?
Where can we build public spaces and programs for inclusion?

Students will design urban scenarios, developing them into architectural prototypes for the program of a public market while promoting equality, improving infrastructure access, and offering alternative opportunities for locals and migrants.

Tirana, Albania, the 2025 Mediterranean capital, is experiencing rapid urban growth and a controversial migration deal with Italy. As one of Europe’s fastest growing cities, Tirana is transforming into a dynamic urban lab, showcasing developer-driven growth in the center, contrasting with the rising number of informal settlements on the periphery.

This market project seeks to overcome the communist heritage and leverage opportunities for the development of coastlines and the protection of pristine bio-agricultural soils along natural river flows. In the Studio we will search for design solutions that reflect the Mediterranean lifestyle and reconnect Tirana with the waterfront of the Mediterranean Sea, its rivers and lakes, as unique resources.