Albanian carpet

Dutch studio Casanova + Hernandez Architects has revitalised a stretch of the lakeside in the small Albanian village of Shiroka. A carpet of stone creates new spaces for socialising and encourages local residents to feel a sense of belonging and familiarity

With its Albanian Carpet project, Casanova + Hernandez Architects has successfully pulled off an aesthetic and functional restoration of a stretch of the lake shore at Shiroka, a fishing village on Shkodra Lake, near the border with Montenegro. The initiative has restored a high-quality urban scenario to the community after the unregulated occupation and privatisation of this public space, actions which changed the shape of the village in the period immediately following the collapse of the Communist regime. The illegal structures have now been demolished, the lake views opened up and the new pedestrian piazza now creates a space

Architectural and Urban design: Casanova + Hernandez Architects Engineering: Sphaera

Author: Antonella Mazzola Photo credits: casanova+hernandez, E. Zhabjaku, Orestia Kapidani

resembling a large dwelling where people can meet and enjoy the spectacular views. As well as helping the lakeshore recover its physical and functional character, the Carpet also aims to restore the feeling of belonging and attachment inspired by a vibrant public space with a domestic feel. It is conceived as a large house with a series of open “rooms” inspired by the typical Albanian interior space, the Oda. In Albanian culture this room always hosts a long, U-shaped bench where family members sit, stretch out or even sleep. Albanian Carpet is an emotional space that evokes the basic needs and desires of urban life – being able to carry out everyday errands across a peaceful space, to feel part of tapestry of local relationships, reclaiming and using a communal landscape as a setting for meeting and social interaction. The “rooms” created by Casanova + Hernandez Architects open out the lake views, creating recreation and leisure time opportunities and encouraging citizens to interact by providing different areas with different functions, like the games room, picnic room, lounge, amphitheatre and the fisherman’s room. The inner side of the U-shaped rooms is

secluded, lined with the wooden surfaces of the bench, while the exterior is stepped stone, creating seats that transform the central piazza into an improvised theatre. The floor, seats and steps are clad in white and black granite that forms a pattern recalling the traditional Albanian carpets the local women used to make. The existing large trees have been preserved and integrated into the piazza design, and new ones have been planted to create areas of shade for the seats and play areas in the rooms.