The competition for the development of the "Zyber Hallulli" orphanage site closed today with the announcement of two separate winners: the group led by the Rojkind Arquitectos studio will develop 3 towers up to 35 floors, while the group led by Hector Barroso will develop the new campus of the orphanage and inspectorate offices in the former German villas.
The decision was made after about four hours of discussions, where the jury concluded that no project proposal from the 5 finalist groups fully successfully addressed the requirements, thus causing the winners to be divided according to functions.
Five finalists, same vertical approach
Despite the award distribution, the presentations of the five finalist projects showed a clear uniformity in approach: all studios proposed three to four towers with heights of up to 45 floors.
The former orphanage site was treated by all teams as an intensive real estate development hub, dominated by verticalization, high density, and elite residential functions, while public spaces remained limited and mainly decorative.
The differences between the projects were limited to facades, volumetry, and symbolic language, but none of them departed from the paradigm of intensive vertical development, turning the competition more into an aesthetic competition than a real debate on alternatives for using public land.
Read: "The State as a Real Estate Agent", from Sazani to Zyber Hallulli
The jury consisted of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the heads of the Albanian Investment Corporation (KISH), the Territorial Development Agency and the National Territorial Planning Agency, as well as international architects.
In this composition, the lack of representation of the Municipality of Tirana, which in previous competitions was directly involved in decision-making through Mayor Erion Veliaj, currently in detention as a defendant on charges of corruption and money laundering, was noticeable.
The lack of local government in a project with direct urban impact for the capital raises questions about the decision-making formula and the role of the municipality in major developments in Tirana.
What did the KISH call foresee?
call "duo for project proposal and investment", opened on September 15, 2025, envisaged the relocation of the orphanage and employment services offices from the current site, as well as the construction of a new campus on "Gramoz Pashko" Street, in the former residential complex of East German diplomats.
According to the terms, the construction of new buildings for the orphanage and offices will be covered by the private investor, while part of the construction area in the new towers will be given for public use.
The competition for the development of the land was won by the group led by the studio Rojkind Arquitectos SC (with collaborators Asab, Son Engineering & Construction, and Julian Kasharaj). This group was engaged by the company Motus (owned by entrepreneur Idajet Ismailaj, shareholder in the company Alb-Star known for building the “Arena Kombëtare” stadium).
"It's called Kor, like the voice of many people" said the Mexican architect during the presentation of the project, which envisages three 20-25-35-story towers connected by bridges (shared corridors) and maximum use of the land for parking (about 3,500 m2). Two of the towers are envisioned for residences while the facade is proposed to be hanging with unique irregular shapes.
While part of the new orphanage campus was awarded to a group led by the studio Taller Hector Barroso (with collaborators Studio B&L, Doriana Bleta, Agim Seranaj and Ardian Paci). This group was engaged by PROGEEN (owned by entrepreneur Genc Kuçuku, who remains in discussions with KISH to develop the Void Tower project in exchange for the construction of government offices in the Commune of Paris).
Read: Sazan's dinner, how public wealth was put on the table
It is expected that an offer will be submitted between the two investors to KISH to then decide which entrepreneur will be the one to receive the right to conduct this call.
Among the other proposing groups were:
- Eu is (of entrepreneur Hamz Islamaj) and CEBRA Arkitekter A/S, with LOFT Architects and Superflex Studio
- Koni Group SRL (of entrepreneurs Nik and Sandër Nikolli), which includes Stefano Boeri Architetti, Gross.Max, AEI Progetti and artist Patrick Tuttofuoco, together with local contractors
- DIAGONAL Design & Implementation (of entrepreneur Nikolin Jaka), + ASL shpk with Carrilho da Graca Arquitectos.
Optimistic discourse, problematic balance
In his speech before the competition, Prime Minister Edi Rama presented the call as an opportunity to create better conditions for orphaned children and as part of a series of major architectural works that, according to him, turn Albania into a reference point for international architects and into a "open university" for the new generations.
But beyond this discourse, KISH's record in public property tenders remains problematic. In more than 16 open calls since 2024, no final contract has been announced, while in at least one case the investor declared the winner has withdrawn (AIBA Company in the call for Void Tower).
Even the call for National Library, related to the construction of a tower in the same area, was canceled due to lack of interest and there is currently no new process open.
In practice, the work of the Corporation and partner agencies has mainly produced competitions and projects in the form of visualizations, with a bill of at least 1.4 million euros in prizes for the finalists, but without concrete results on the ground.
Meanwhile, the fact that five different studios end up with the same urban solution (3 towers!) suggests that the framework of the competition was oriented from the beginning towards multi-story buildings (warned by Citizens.al from the beginning), leaving little or no room for alternative development models.
In this sense, the competition for "Zyber Hallullin" does not open a debate on public interest, but further consolidates the practice where public land is seen primarily as maximum construction potential, while social function and urban impact remain secondary issues and are even moved as far away from the main streets of the capital as possible.
Read also:
- "Selman Stërmasi" Stadium with two towers
- Bjarke Ingels in Petrelë: “Faith Park” above the ancient site of Përsqop
- The Investment Corporation's "no contest" and "no account" calls
Erblin Vukaj has completed his studies in “Communication Sciences” and further mastered (MSc) in “European and International Journalism” at the University of Tirana. Since 2012, Vukaj has been working as a professional journalist, gaining experience in online media, print media, radio and television. He has covered various issues such as current affairs, health, environment and sports. In parallel, he has led and been involved in several research projects on the communist past in Albania.
