ENEIDA BERISHA: PORTFOLIO
CONTENTS Agri - communities Spring Term 2015
Dissonance hotel
Fall Term 2014 - 2015
Light box
ACADEMIC
Fall Term 2013 - 2014
HousePlus
Fall Term 2012 - 2013
Room design
TID Tower Summer 2014
Conference
PROFESSIONAL
TID Tower 2014 - 2015
Farmers with a view
AASA Summer 2015
The space in between
April 2015
EXHIBITIONS
Finding the lost skyline Venice Biennial 2014
Reviving Renoir November 2015
Golem lifeguard tower Summer 2014
COMPETITIONS
AGRI - COMMUNITIES
AGRI - COMMUNITIES Year round tourism: Spring Term 2015
Instructors:
Artan Hysa, Egin Zeka, Jurtin Hajro, Simon Battisti
The Albanian Riviera is a gathering of settlements, full of life, energy and resources. In the touristic aspect it does not lack the culture, the history, the religious diversity and the natural assets. What the Riviera lacks is the promotion of its identity: a way of engaging tourists and locals in the vast possibilities it offers. Whether it is Xarre, Borsh, Dhermi or Himare, the Riviera’s agriculture is abundant. Here is cultivated and produced fish, honey, olives, wheat, tangerines, watermelons and wine, all typical and traditional for the area. Acknowledging the potentials of the area, a mixture of rural and culinary tourism would be suitable as a year-round tourism solution.
“Riviera Identity” Dhermi
Vuno
Himare
Sustain - Protect - Direct - Develop Respect natural processes -work with nature
coastal lands protected
planning and management land and sea
activities
1. Existing road access
2. Not impede public access to the beach
3. Not spread out - but concentrated
4. Proximity to the sea - the road as a barrier
Qeparo
Borsh
Rural tourism on its own is focused entirely in participating in a rural lifestyle. In terms of popularity, it is rapidly growing as a business prospect as well as a genuine vacation trend. The added income from rural tourism can contribute to the revival of lost folk art and handicrafts. While it is a good model for both developing and developed nations, in the Riviera it will be also a way of restoring wealth and providing future development. This model does not only provide good experience for the foreigners who will collaborate closely with the inhabitants but they in turn will feel like tourists as well. It takes in consideration the workers who migrate seasonally where the job requires them to and gives them accommodation as well as rest. It will raise awareness and respect
for the environment, just as it will increase their curiosity as to how certain establishments work (farms, winery, etc). It will be a beneficial outcome to locals whose work will be more valuable. Culinary tourism on the other hand answers another curiosity of the international visitors in search of the traditional elements of the Riviera. In a setting where modern influence has started to assimilate even gastronomy, there is a necessity in restoring identity. Culinary tourism is a thorough insight inside the culture and the way of being in the Riviera. It is about experiencing food in a mode that is out of the ordinary, which steps outside the normal routine to notice difference and the power of food to represent and negotiate.
Program
AGRI - COMMUNITIES
Wild zone
Natural and accessible waterfront Unexplored natural park Buffer zone between fields and beach
Structures
Linear settlement at hillside Clear defined urban footprint Winery and dwellings all in one structure Greenhouses serving as workshops
Current Situation
Plantation
Vineyards - appropriate for wine Sun exposure - necessary daylight (perfect equilibrium of sunlight) Strawberry fields - full sun
Proposal
Vineyards
AGRI - COMMUNITIES
The rural lifestyle will be evident through the collaborative work in the fields, but that is one side of the coin. The other side is the housing, where both tourists and locals will retreat to. It will be both a vacation destination, where they can relax after a day out, as well as a common ground where the real rural lifestyle begins. The communication between locals and tourists will help in the revival of handicrafts and folk art. It provides accommodation and rest to the workers who migrate seasonally where the job requires them to.
Spatiality
Activities
AGRI - COMMUNITIES
Exterior
Interior
DISSONANCE HOTEL
DISSONANCE HOTEL Reclaiming the toured space: Fall Term 2014 - 2015
Instructors:
Artan Hysa, Egin Zeka, Jurtin Hajro,
Berat is an enriched city, full of life, energy and activities. In the touristic aspect Berat does not lack the history, the culture, the religious diversity and the natural assets. Therefore, it does not lack an identity. The city seeks to promote this identity. The most engaging part of Berat is the culture. The city has been the stage to annual and seasonal music festivals for years. Musicians and performers have attracted the music enthusiasts. These events remain nowadays one of the reasons to visit Berat. At the edge of the city, where the river meets the land and history meets life, something happens.
History
Nature
Culture
Urban Analysis
1. Transport
2. Urban Pattern
3. Greenery
4. Access (local)
5. Sun Orientation
6. Building Typology
It starts as merely an empty plot; a piece of earth surrounded on two sides by buildings, with one side looking out to the oldest tissue of Berat and another opening towards the river. It is a vast source of potential. Starting as an interlude in the midst of urban life, The Hotel aims to attract people; to bring them through a row of activities, making the river the final destination. The curious may enter, unknowingly, into a building that sets out to represent the cultural values of an entire city. The Dissonance seeks to provide shelter not only to the ones seeking it but also to the musicians gathering for the events. The rooms for the musicians are considered as units, representing the momentum of life, the unique lifestyle and
one of the qualities of Berat which is the sharing of experiences. The guests follow a gallery upon the very entrance. The open gallery introduces the duality between music and life, being both a museum of instruments and one of lifestyles. The architecture, thus, is not limited to the concept of a building. It engulfs the rooms, the restaurant, the performing spaces, the open spaces, the platforms in one single container. The hotel is not an attached limb to the city. It is a remake, a representation of the ever-encompassing values of Berat.
Concept
1. Edge of the City
2. Between Urban Life and Nature
3. Open Air Theatre
Located between urban life and nature the site is at the edge of the city.
The road network serves as a barrier between the city and River Osumi.
The theatre enriches the cultural aspect of the city while using the river.
DISSONANCE HOTEL
DISSONANCE HOTEL
Model
Site Plan
LIGHT BOX
LIGHT BOX Office Building:
Fall Term 2013 - 2014
Instructors:
Artemis Hasa, Edmond Manahasa, Fitim Miftari, Sokol Dervishi
The aim was to create modular and construction of the office building suitable for the flexible spatial reorganization of the office units with an information point, cafe and outdoor space for resting. The all-glass facade and the skylight allow for high-performance of the working environments while keeping the livelihood of its users. The five-stories building, hosts one underground floor: for parking, as to not unnecessarily create more chaotic spaces in the neighboorhod, while the other floor, taking advantage from the slope of the ground serves as meeting and workshop areas. Functionality goes by height: ground floor for social spaces; first - open offices, second - for common-closed offices.
HOUSEPLUS
HOUSEPLUS Hybrid housing:
Fall Term 2012 - 2013
Instructors:
Dorian Tytymce, Jurtin Hajro, Valbona Koci
The project consists in designing a hybrid building, another program that involves working, a structure that can be defined as a place to dwell and/or a place of living/working milieu The building was designed for a couple (husband and a wife where both are engaged in the work activity, the husband being a pianist and the wife a cellist, thus both live and work in the same place. Taking into consideration the location and the program, it was of high importance to examine the public and private boundary in that the contemporary building suggests. The living area - a two-stories villa - is set apart from the working area through the urban garden, which serves also as an inspiration center.
The living quarters stand on a separate structure from the working area. The 2-stories villa has the ground floor serving for the day activities - living, dining, cooking; while the first floor, as the more private, withholds the sleeping rooms for the whole family. Set as a working area, the so-called practicing room for the musicians, is used as a mini-concert hall as well. It can accommodate impromptu performances and spectators. With the rhythmic openings in the facade and the skylight similar to notes in a music sheet, the building reflects its users. As if it was an envelope embracing the two buildings and the garden, a wall hides the complex from the chaos of the main road.
ROOM DESIGN
ROOM DESIGN TID Tower Summer 2014 Team:
CoRDA, Jurtin Hajro, Sokol Dervishi, Gentian Kica, Eneida Berisha
Role:
Architect researcher
The TID Tower, located at the center of Tirana, built at first to accommodate offices, was transformed to become a 5-star business hotel. The building itself was not thought out to host rooms, and neither to facilitate luxury, so it underwent adaptation. The oversized open offices with common wet spaces were separated to form suites, restaurants and conference halls. An emphasis was put on the rooms, and their acoustic and lighting design; as well as on the wet spaces - questioning the notion of a necessary space and bordering on to a relaxation area. A trend is introduced: that of a full or partial glass wall separating the sleeping area from the bathroom.
CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE TID Tower 2014-2015 Team:
CoRDA, Jurtin Hajro, Sokol Dervishi, Gentian Kica, Eneida Berisha
Role:
Architect researcher; lighting designer
Establishing a well-functioning luxurious conference room able to host approximately 200 people, does not only require a layout research (the flexibility of the space and the event - whether it is banquet style, theater style or ballroom style) but also a thorough research in lighting design. The restricted area proved challenging - but the appropriate design suggested a scenario-based adaptation: festive occassion, business meeting or presentation, etc. In case the ceilings are stripped, casette, or normal, another research was made. Simulation and scientific programs proved helpful in determining the results for each preferred situation.
FARMERS WITH A VIEW
FARMERS WITH A VIEW AASA Summer 2015 Partners:
National Territorial Planning Agency (AKPT), German Development Fund (GIZ)
Team:
Arjela Tifi, Eneida Berisha, Era Merkuri, Erisa Nesimi, Fatbardha Hysenaj, Ilva Gjuzi, Simon Battisti
Role:
Part of the student team
“Farmers with a View” set out to investigate the status of tourism in four mountain villages in the Albanian Riviera—Pilur, Kudhes, Old Qeparo, and Old Himare—to figure out why these villages remain impervious to tourist income, while the towns along the beaches below overflow with it. Our goal: catalyze villages toward tourism with sensitive, impactful, low-cost ideas. Despite their proximity to one another, Kudhes, Pilur, Qeparo, and Himare Fshat are surprisingly diverse in character. Each village has a unique settlement history which is related to elevation and topography. Each has a unique relationship with the sea depending on distance to it, which affects the ways in which village members dispersed after 1991.
The six events (on the right) that we propose each originate in our attempt to assess the existing strengths of each village, and to build on them. This assessment came from observation and interviews with both residents and visitors. Pictured above: two locals (husband and wife) who were the only ones in the entire village of Pilur to welcome tourists and sell them local products. When asked why others in the village do not follow their model this is what they replied.
In Himare or Pilur, where a new business could be started by simply walking down the hill, villagers tended to stay nearby, whereas in Kudhes, which is much further inland, according to locals, the able-bodied population emigrated outside Albania as soon as they could. The dispersion pattern in turn affects the attitudes of villagers today toward their own environment. In Kudhes there is a strong nostalgia for the village, where residents return from abroad once a year and invest to improve their family homes, whereas the built environment of Pilur is comparatively uncared for, likely because so many villagers have interests in businesses and property directly below. Pilur was for a time at least, a place to forget.
Map above illustrates the location of the villages, starting from Old Himare, Pilur, Kudhes, and Old Qeparo. Down: pictured some of the events proposed, from Village Store, Open Village, Professional Retreat and Artwalk.
THE SPACE IN BETWEEN
THE SPACE IN BETWEEN April 2015
Instructors:
Alexander Schellow, Stephanie Brauer, Simon Battisti, Valbona Koci
Team:
Albin Metthey, Eneida Berisha, Jorela Karriqi, Roxanne Metayer
Role:
Lead architect
The workshop aimed at exploring a very concrete SPACE IN BETWEEN: the empty lot north of the former train station that is merged with the current construction ground for the boulevard extension. The confrontation of methods by students of architecture, urban planning and fine arts proved interesting frictions. The product of this collaboration was an inbetween structure, meant to spark the interest of the passers-by. The structure built was made of readyfound materials: bricks, bags, and sticks and stones. The interest of the people was registered through photos, recordings and film. The usual method of drawing and then constructing was reversed - the last step being the appropriation of the built structure.
FINDING THE LOST SKYLINE
FINDING THE LOST SKYLINE Swiss Pavilion
Venice Biennial 2014
Instructors:
Fitim Miftari, Frida Pashako, Kreshnik Merxhani, Ina Osmani, Sokol Dervishi, Valbona Koci
Partners:
Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB), Institute of Cultural Monuments (IMK)
Team:
Azbie Dervishi, Eneida Berisha, Elena Hoxhaj, Enkela Krosi, Era Merkuri, Kristjana Doka, Mateos Shehu, Melania Keci, Ridvana Mucaj, Romina Dokaj, Selajdin Neziri, Silvana Demirxhiu
Role:
Part of the student team
The project’s aim was to transmit and restore the historical image of the city, lost after the Cultural Revolution of the 70’s – that abolished all religious symbols for the purpose of making citizens rely solely on communism and its philosophy. The virtual restitution of the historical skyline of the UNESCO city of Gjirokastra, and its reconstruction was made possible through archival sources, CHWB (Cultural Heritage Without Borders), local partners, intense research, as well as the memory of the elderly.
Saint Mehilli Church
REVIVING RENOIR
REVIVING RENOIR Hotel Millenium Competition: November 2015
Team:
Azbie Dervishi, Eneida Berisha, Matilda Zylfo
Role:
Lead architect
The objective of the competition was the modification, rehabilitation and revival of the interiors of Hotel Millenium located in Tirana, Albania. The inspiration for the project was Renoir. The vitality he used in his paintings was taken as a basis of reflection for the areas presented. The paintings of Renoir were analyzed and brought to a new light by introducing them to rooms, which were left monotonous and cliched. The revival here was made possible through the paintings themselves - few retouches were made via the primary colors - showing up in cloth: curtains, bedcovers; in walls, furniture, and even steps of stairs. Renoir was the crucial element in our work and the main element in the content of the research.
GOLEM LIFEGUARD TOWER
GOLEM LIFEGUARD TOWER Lifeguard Tower Competition: Summer 2014
Team:
Eneida Berisha, Ueda Gruda
Role:
Lead architect
The chosen beach was that of Golem, located in Durres. What is noticeable about this beach is the invasion of the land by the sea, nowadays turning many of the most appreciated resting areas and buildings into unused spots. The same fate had befallen the lifeguard towers: they were abandoned, disregarded, and some even broken into and turned into trashcans. Concrete is clearly not the answer, not only because it goes against the notion of a flexible structure ready to be stored away in winter season, but mainly because it would contradict the lifestyle of the summer season. The tower should not be a proper “tower�, made permament. The structure itself should fit with the chaotic and ecstasic environment.
The structure is made to accommodate two baywatchers in a space fit for resting and for guarding the beach. The whole tower is made out of lightweight steel, easy to mantle and dismantle, as is its primary objective: being moveable and adaptable. The elemination of the starcase for climbing prevents future accidents. The ramp is suitable for running - when rescuing and giving firstaid- the lifeguards will not have to worry about arriving as fast as possible to help the ones in need.