Fulvio Papadhopulli

Project Location 
Tirana, Albania 

Topic 
Utopia Formal Experimentation 

Program 
Mixed use - Infrastructure & Urban Aggregation, Master plan, Redevelopment, Structure, Waterfront 

Tirana’s spatiotemporal museal experience & innovative stations 

"Superposition of contextual paradigms with paranoid critical method" explores merging two opposing approaches in architecture for new design processes. Combining contextual factors with irrationality creates innovative, context-sensitive architecture. Technology aids its integration. 

The question to confront is whether the superposition of these two divergent approaches can provide a new design methodology that responds to the unique challenges of this context. How can we balance the historical and cultural context of a site with the innovative thinking required to create truly unique and impactful structures? From forms’ structure to structuring form, a process of superposition between contextual paradigms and PCM, rising questions and thoughts. Can we think of designing urban museums? How can urban museums act as community cores? Can we normalize the non-normative design? 

The proposal is an innovative spatio-temporal urban museum along the dam of the Artificial Lake of Tirana, designed using the combination of contextual paradigms with PCM. The aim is to create a unique structure that celebrates the cultural heritage of the city while also pushing boundaries and rethinking the traditional approach of architecture. The formal articulation of the structure suggests non-normative outdoors, as well as semi-indoor experiences. In fact, the two are strongly linked together as the structure’s proposal acts like a giant shell that lays on the urban shore of the capital. It does not present a clear distinction between interior and exterior spaces, due to its lack of normative walls, doors or curtain walls. This is intentional, in way to give a sense of porosity to what reincarnates an architectural quantum foam. All the pathways are conceived to turn into unique museal experiences. The frames and promenades can be considered as “nude” exhibitions, which change at the same pace as the surrounding urban silhouettes. The other ones, positioned on the ground levels inside the shell, hidden by the direct sunlight, are innovative high-tech exhibitions, such as the AI Exhibition walls, VR/AR Exhibitions, Historic Tirana holograms, etc. As for the interior, it can turn into a sub-project itself; practically as well as theoretically. The discussion of linking interior and exterior spaces as one, makes me think of a computational-powered neo-baroque paradigm, which can take place in the near future. The proposal also suggests as a preliminary concept, a plasticized paneling configuration, which follows the spline attributes of the initial generation field. Because of the universe’s ever-growing & infinite algorithm, we are able to learn and extract infinite data. As a matter of fact, many of the concepts are used metaphorically to describe a new way of design processes. The world is nowadays going from “paradigm shifts” towards “paradigm superpositions”, as described by the quantum state.