Alban Tower

Not to be confused with Alban Towers.
Alban Tower
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice building
LocationTirana, Albania
AddressRruga Ibrahim Rugova 1, Tirana 1001
Coordinates41°19′34″N 19°48′59″E / 41.32610°N 19.81652°E / 41.32610; 19.81652
Construction started2005
Completed2021
13 May 2023 (inaugurated)[1]
CostEUR€ 25 Million
Height
Roof107 m (351 ft)[2]
Technical details
Structural systemConcrete, steel
Floor count25 (+6 underground)
Floor area12,400 m2 (133,000 sq ft)[1]
Lifts/elevators7
Design and construction
Architect(s)Archea Associati (Marco Casamonti)
Structural engineerAEI Progetti
Main contractorAl&Gi Sh.p.k
Website
atti.al

The Alban Tower is a high-rise office skyscraper in Tirana, Albania. The building was inaugurated on May 12, 2023, and stands at 107 meters (351 ft) tall, being divided into 25 floors.[3][4][5]

Architecture

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The Alban Tower (left) seen alongside Eyes of Tirana from the Pyramid of Tirana.

Story of concept

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The Alban Tower is part of a complex renovation programme of Tirana's historic centre which was designed and conceived between 1920 and 1935 by the Italian architects Armando Brasini and Gherardo Bosio. The tower's design was configured as a tridimensional geometric conjunction of four towers of different heights and colours, reflecting the city's fundamental design, which is centred on the tracing of the two traditional axes, a cardo and a decumanus, still visible in the urban planning of Tirana today.[6][7]

The tower's produce was the result of an international competition in which some of the most important names in European architecture took part in the early 2000s. The competition was won by the Florentine studio Arches Associati who came up with the idea of going beyond the American conception of the skyscraper according to Louis Sullivan’s definition to propose a profile inspired by the middle-age Italian towers, as in the examples of the Arnolfo Palazzo della Signoria from Florence and Torre Velasca from Milano.[6]

A single trunk of a tree which branches spreaded into four pieces extending upwards was the model for the Alban Tower. Due to these different schemes, the façades of the buildings have a complex effect and display a striking aesthetic. The building's base comprises panels made of green concrete equipped with Murano glass stones in five different shades, giving the surface an iridescent effect.[8]

To the upper floors, the panels take on thirteen different colors, being assembled to distinguish the four different sections of the tower. The panels are made of light aluminum, bent to create the curves of the tower.[1][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "ALBAN TOWER: FOUR IN ONE THIS SKYSCRAPER IN TIRANA QUOTES A NUMBER OF FAMOUS ITALIAN TOWERS, FROM TORRE VELASCA TO PALAZZO DELLA SIGNORIA". theplan.it. The Plan. October 12, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Vinci, Rossana (June 14, 2023). "Alban Tower by Archea Associati inaugurated in Tirana". archiportale.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "Marco Casamonti - Forum AGC Architettura in Vetro". Tekla Agenzia di Comunicazione. 18 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Alban Tower | Archea Associati".
  5. ^ "Home Page". Alban Tower. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  6. ^ a b "The Alban Tower was inaugurated on 13 May '23 in Tirana". archea.it. ARCHEA ASSOCIATI. May 13, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  7. ^ ""Alban Tower" by Archea Associati: the skyscraper that looks at the historic Italian towers in the heart of Tirana". ingenio-web.it (in Italian). Ingenio. August 30, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Alban Tower - Tirana, Albania". led-linear.com. LED LINEAR™. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Catalano, Patrizia (June 16, 2023). "The Archea studio designed the Alban Tower in Tirana". Interni Magazine. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
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