A 16-story tower will be built behind the “Emin Duraku” school in Tirana, adding another multi-story structure to the overcrowded former Blloku area.
The project, called "The Prime Tower", envisages about 10 thousand square meters of construction, expected to be built by "A&E Development," a company founded in 2023 by Fatjon Alliu in partnership with Gentian Parruca, the latter a shareholder of the architecture studio Focus Architecture, which conceived the idea.
"A&E Development" took construction permit on May 29, 2024 by the National Territorial Council (KTK). It uses 980 square meters of land, which is currently used as a private parking lot between the buildings behind the 9-year school "Emin Duraku".
Read more about the series "Tirana Vertical"which explains the construction in the capital.
The project concept envisions a tall building with modern architecture, with balconies and glass windows accompanied by vertical greenery. Although only 380 square meters of the land will be occupied by the footprint of the new building, the fact that a 57.24 meter high structure will be erected on it further narrows the spaces.
The development of this project comes at a time when the former Blloku area, one of Tirana's most exclusive neighborhoods, is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The recently rebuilt 9-year-old school risks being surrounded by mansions and high-rise buildings, displacing its original identity among the new buildings.
Area transformation
Historically, Tirana's urban plan has set clear rules for the height and density of buildings. But in the former Bllok, where real estate values have been steadily increasing, these rules have been bypassed, bringing the KKT, i.e. the government, into play.
The former Block covers an area of about 50 hectares. The urban plan of the Municipality of Tirana divides it into 30 structural units, including about 340 buildings. Among them, 20 are designated as objects of special importance and 15 as “Cultural Monuments”. According to this plan, the buildings in the former Block were to have a height of 5 to 9 floors, with a mainly residential purpose, as well as a land use coefficient of 45%.
But the reality has deviated significantly from these standards. Out of 30 structural units, only 3 of them have detailed local plans. The rest have undergone profound changes through approvals by the KKT, often contrary to the general idea of development envisaged by the local plan.
So far, 12 high-intensity construction projects have been approved, turning the exception into the norm. At the same time, the actions of the KKT and the lack of a response from the Municipality of Tirana have facilitated the deepening impacts that these developments bring to the city's infrastructure and the quality of life of citizens.
Urban development has brought unprecedented changes to the former Bllok, raising questions about the city's long-term vision and efforts to preserve Tirana's cultural and historical heritage.
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He completed master's studies in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. She has been working as a journalist for five years, where she previously covered issues of politics and parliamentary activity, in print and online media. She is currently a journalist at Citizens.al, where she covers various social issues related to the transparency of institutions. At Citizens.al, she leads the podcast "The Unheard" and is engaged as a manager of projects related to the support of investigative journalism.
