6.7.5 Hotel Turizmi Sarande (Butrinti), 1968

linear continuous window, which creates a great contrast between the dark color of the horizontal continuity of the window, with the corpse of the building itself.

6.7.5 Hotel Turizmi Sarande (Butrinti), 1968

Hotel Turizmi in Saranda, is desinged by A. Lufi and A. Shani as a unique solution towards the difficult rugged terrain. The project of 1968 represents a series of refractions in the volume and the interior space, yet still follows the rationality of the period.

The ground floor solution has organized the space in groups around the central hall which is the first contact with the main entrance, where the division of administrative, food spaces and served areas are visible in plan.

The private areas in the upper six floors are arranged according to the rational and standardized principles of the time, with a linear corridor distributing rooms on the two other sides. The presence of the balconies in the rooms facing the sea creates a more abundant space for internal use but also a dynamic in the façade which is covered with granulated stone extending to the parapets and cornices. Within the balconies the presence of stripped round section columns and shading elements contributes simultaneously to the comfort of theroom and the vibration of the façade.

The consoles and the vertical elements fragment the horizontal linearity of the building by fading a bit the effect of the solidity of the building. The other three façades are treated with the equal care considering the four-side visibility of the building.

The main entrance is visible from the road in front which combined with the shelter and the stairs, magnify their proportions visually and contrasts the volume of the building.

Upper Figures: Hotel "Turizmi", Sarande. Elevations and photo after construction. Source (Islami G. , Veizaj, Thomai, & Fontanari, 2018) Bottom Figures: View of Hotel Butrinti after restoration processes. Source: albania-holidays.com

The restoration processes after the 1990’s have preserved the structure and the architecture of the building, but the last restoration intervening with a contra positioning color, extensions in the ground floor and reinforcement of the vertical elements, have created a more aggressive representation of the object which fades the original characteristics while serving as a distinctive element in the actual dense urban development of the city.