MA Studio & Partners: What differentiate us in 20 years of experience are our principles

On the first anniversary of her own company, the CEO of MA Studio & Partners, Klodiana Taçi sits with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE to talk of the many achievements, the latest –the ranking on second place in the international competition “Concert Hall Gërmia” for one of the most important new buildings in Prishtina, Kosovo.

With a distinguished professional experience on her shoulders, Taçi explains what is her company’s way of doing architecture while reveals the “diamond” which was added to the company’s portfolio of projects this year.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Following your split from another well-known architecture studio where you were pioneers and also well-known for several projects, how is MA Studio & Partners doing and looking at the future?

Indeed a new challenge for MA Studio & Partners. We did a lot over the 20 years at DEA Studio, contributing to the country with a lot of important projects for public & private spaces & buildings. It’s kind of interesting sensation, it feels like you are bringing another child into the world while your first lovely creation is grown up enough to fly by himself in its proper life. The new one has all the love of the first, you have all the attention on growing him up strongly, but even conscious of having a lot of experience to do it perfectly. On its first anniversary, it looks a healthy creation that brought us a lot of joys and for sure many and many others in the future.

How can you define your modelling architecture style, what makes your style different from your competitors?

There are not anymore distinguished styles in architecture. Architects are globally travelling by decades in a modernism, that is always and more a unified megapolitan language of architecture. What we think differentiate us in 20 years of career are the principles we are based on.

Always our design concepts start with the psychology of the people, who will live our designed and constructed buildings. If we do not make them happy at the end, we could consider it a failure. There are a lot of architects, whose most of their designs were permeated by their personal artistic ego, without the human consideration at all. Not our way of doing architecture, for sure.

Can you mention some of the projects your Studio has successfully completed and any other which is coming soon?

In one year, we, as MA Studio & Partners l.t.d, did a lot, from many masterplans, residential buildings, residential complexes to touristic resorts. After designing a lot of implemented public spaces and waterfronts with DEA Studio, with MA Studio & Partners, we added another important project to our career with Livadh

Rendering of Alem Aga Farm Orikum

waterfront, which will be partly ready for this touristic season and fully completed in the next one. Ultimately, we achieved a very, very important professional award, ranked as 2-nd in the international competition “Concert Hall Gërmia” for one of the most important new buildings in Prishtina, Kosovo.

Could you give us an overview regarding this project? It looks like an important sign in your career with the new Company MA Studio & Partners.

Yes, it is. As a matter of fact, after many important challenges with DEA Studio in the past, it is the appropriate continuity with the new company. Our proposal for Concert Hall Gërmia in Prishtina is a “In one year, very good opportunity we, as MA Studio & for Prishtina to bring back to life a noted building of Partners l.t.d, the past, with a fresh did a lot.” contemporary impulse, that could look clearly to the future. This is precisely the key conceptual principle of our architectural intervention. The “yesterday” of a building designed in the ‘70s left as a trace for generations brings back the identical geometries of the most important part of the original facade into the new design. The new building extensions with a completely new and important function also looks toward the future, interpreting the integration of original facade with transparent glass modules inspired by the geometry of the aluminum pattern in respect of the original design. The transition between two epochs comes as a fusion interpretation in the proposal. Above all, our intervention is urban, connecting in the shortest way the South-West with the North-East city center areas, transiting the most

Rendering of Germia Project in Prishtina, Kosovo

Rendering of Livadh Waterfront, Himara

important city public space "“Skanderbeg” Square. Almost all atrophied spaces today become active and the Concert Hall Germia building itself will be the protagonist of the urban space with 360° experience with all that importance such a building should deserve.

What do you think of all the projects booming in Albania especially in Tirana from the high rise towers to the new impressive buildings?

Developments in Tirana are coming in the maturity period when the city has for years afforded a lot of growth problems. The big infrastructure is under construction and will facilitate the overloading traffic of the city center. On the other hand, there are ambitious completed buildings and others on the way that will enrich the city skyline and the European metropolis feeling. Who is coming back to Albania after a long time is perceiving the distinguished changes of the city and its European image.

Are the investors looking “fast forward” into the Country future of mix Tourism and business?

It is really a very good moment for our profession, but the most important for the country. As it looks, we are passing in this new decade from a long and hard transition, from the state controlled to a free market economy. The developments in years have been traumatic, but after 30 years of sufferings, the first results are looming. The new built national road infrastructure has created a capillary interconnection among the cities, facilitating even the tourism purposes. There are two main objectives to be achieved by the Government, which will stimulate the big change of the tourism and fuel the economy of the country, Airports of Vlora and Saranda will be crucial. creativity, which will distinguish your proposal and this goes beyond, you should be inspired.

Rendering of London Business Park, Mother Theresa Airport

Mainly the creation is instinctive, but well connected with the program of the project, specifics of the site and your organic approach.

Where do you get all these new inspiration for your creative ideas for your projects as you have been showing?

Our profession is for sure a discipline, you go through urban analysis of the site; you are called to intervene, but at the end you should explode in you the

“Our profession What would you recommend to the new is for sure a entrepreneurs in discipline” architecture and design “start ups”? Self-confidence. For sure it springs fromhard study and work, but it is the only attitude that will make the difference for a successful career.