The central square of Tirana is designed as a void in the chaos of the city, a void shaped by a collection of gardens and public buildings, both existing and new. This surrounding green belt functions like an antechamber, negotiating between the congestion of the city and the emptiness of the square.
From the empty center, the full range of buildings defining Albania’s past can be seen, representing a common past that can be built upon. The oppressing monumentality of the communist constructions is countered by the shape of the square: a large, low pyramid. Standing on top of this pyramid, one is no longer overpowered by the architecture of the past. This subtle intervention acknowledges Albania’s past, and gives it a new perspective as well.