Public Building Maintenance and Rehabilitation

The public buildings such as high schools, kindergartens, nurseries, universities, dormitories and buildings in their service used by the general public are valuable assets, normally built with substantial investment in a long period of time. These assets are not always managed with the care that they require. As a result, depreciation and destruction in time reducing the ability of these buildings to fulfil their functions by reducing the time of use, durability. General usage costs will also be higher because of the buildings require costly renovations or replacements of materials frequently than might be necessary if they are maintained regularly. Limited funds are often considered as a reason for inadequate maintenance. Enough funds are needed, but very good results can be achieved with very limited budgets, if maintenance work is done in a systematic way with well-defined priorities. The paper tries to answer the question if the maintenance and rehabilitation of the existing public buildings is the most effective way for the improvement of their contemporary standards. In the first part after the background a theoretical description of the building performance management, maintenance and rehabilitation issue. A brief description of the building deterioration and depreciation is done. In the second part the performance the public buildings situation in Albania is given throw analyses of a big number of key studies. Analyses of the cons and pros of rehabilitation are followed by the analyses of costs and the feasibility. In the end is given the answer to the question: to rehabilitate or build

Planning for the Development of Tourism in the Natural and Archeological Park of Orikum

The questions posed by the sustainable development of the natural and heritage sites have opened the discussion of new ways of planning these tourist territories. The aim of this paper is to show, by means of Orikum case study, how planning can contribute to the natural and cultural preservation, as well as to the tourism development. The paper opens by describing the main relevant contextual factors that have influenced the tourism market. It follows with the theoretical background and some definitions. In the next section it focuses on national strategies for the tourism development, describing the potentials, possible scenarios for tourism development planning of Orikum area. The results of research show that the planning concepts of sustainability and innovation will be highly strategic and operative to reach successful tourism development in the natural and archeological sites

Regeneration of Vlora waterfront promenade

This paper’s focus is the regeneration of the urban waterfront promenade, strengthening its role in the resolution of specific seaside cities’ spatial and economic problematic. It is a descriptive and analytical study of the winner proposal for Vlora waterfront promenade, which aims to turn the city into a significant urban coastal area for regional recreation and tourism. It also strives to rely on a theoretical background on waterfront space redesigning, based on the European experiences in urban waterfront redevelopment and on the potential of their regeneration, as an instrument of economic development. It concludes that since the waterfront redevelopment scheme is a complex, multi-actor and long-term program that has to cope with changing economic and political conditions, the planners should be very cautious of adopting elements of successful international examples, for reasons of uniqueness of local environmental, physical, economic and political preconditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tirana, Regeneration Policy of the Urban Periphery

This article attempts to highlight some of the issues and opportunities for the recovery of Tirana periphery. Tirana is currently in a process of constant transformation of its territory, particularly in the suburbs areas. This transformation has marginalized these parts of the city and so far has not been accompanied by studies or critical analysis for the retrain of these areas. From a compact part, monotonous and chaotic, the periphery should be transformed through mechanisms and different urban instruments, in a urban polycentrism situations. Facing which we should think in the polycentric system of Tirana is not only a spatial recovery, social and economic of the periphery or infrastructure disposition and physical restoration of buildings, but in a much wider action and extended in a articulated range. Through the interventions in the general urban structure of the city, by reactivating of strong economic and cultural development bases associated with strong strategic functions with public interest we may speak of "city" or "civilization" in these areas. In conclusion the article will enumerate a series of points already successfully handled in several European cities and with the same interest that can be brought in different plans on the metropolitan periphery

Regeneration of Vlora waterfront promenade

This paper’s focus is the regeneration of the urban waterfront promenade, strengthening its role in the resolution of specific seaside cities’ spatial and economic problematic. It is a descriptive and analytical study of the winner proposal for Vlora waterfront promenade, which aims to turn the city into a significant urban coastal area for regional recreation and tourism. It also strives to rely on a theoretical background on waterfront space redesigning, based on the European experiences in urban waterfront redevelopment and on the potential of their regeneration, as an instrument of economic development. It concludes that since the waterfront redevelopment scheme is a complex, multi-actor and long-term program that has to cope with changing economic and political conditions, the planners should be very cautious of adopting elements of successful international examples, for reasons of uniqueness of local environmental, physical, economic and political preconditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Impact of Socialist Realism Ideology in the Albanian Architecture from 1945-1990

The socialist Style in the Eastern European countries was considered a great style. It was called the “proletariat style” that combined the communist ideology with the artistic image, a style that was socialist in content and national in form. Construction and Architecture in Albania after the Second World War until 1990, exactly for 45 years, were guided by certain principles, as aesthetic design concepts, as well as the norms and rules that were binding and strong for architects. “Canons” funnel architects relations with the government and the Party. The paper treats: historical description of socialist realism, the initial development of the architecture of the socialist realism in Albania, the influence of the decisions of the Labor Party of Albania (PPSH), how the Albanian architecture and the development conditions of the constructions were radically changed by the ideas of the socialist realism, how this style was strongly supported by the post-war architects, graduated in East and by the Soviet architects

Fausto Di Florestano - The Genesis Of New Architectural Forms In Albania

This research on the Florestano Di Faustos architecture seek to highlight the evident facts which are fairly present in the context of Albanian cities, but little-known in the academic and professional field . Di Fausto, the Italian architect who worked on the second regulatory plan of Tirana, designed personally also the new core of the Albanian capital, Skanderbeg Square altogether with the ensemble of ministries and the administrative buildings. The materials found in various archives in Italy and Albania reflects clearly the high capacity of architect’s creativity, who worked at the same time for the construction of the city where Mussolini was born, Predapio, in Rhodes, Greece and in Tirana. Working in different contexts, with his architecture, to fulfill the complex requirements that come from these countries, every time he strove to make architecture which will be plugged with “the legend, myth and history of the location, leaving a space into free interpretation of tradition in a new vision of the most modern architecture”. This paper will present the typical and original elements elaborated by Di Fausto in Albania, with a deep respect of existing city. Important parts of Di Faustos’ ideas are showing for the first time

Waterfront Planning for Sustainable Development of Natural and Archeological Heritage

Orikum area, with many natural and archaeological potential, is positioned in the meeting place of three water systems: the sea, the river and the lagoon with the wetland. The waterfront planning design aims the development of this site in harmony with nature and its history. The paper is oriented toward practical problems of the waterfront planning for sustainable development of Orikum. The specific issues which are addressed include changing the waterfront image by improving accessibility, linking and preservation of natural and archaeological heritage. An incremental approach to implementation is recommended, with emphasis upon principles of sustainable and environmental design for tourism development and the role of urban design guidelines for waterfront development and the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage, as well as to the development of the community. The results of research show that the waterfront planning concepts of sustainability and innovation will be highly strategic and operative to reach successful urban development

Double Skin Facade - Why Not?

For centuries architects focussed their artistics skills on the creation of a successful external appearance for their structures. This was often the subject of what the style to be chosen, but was also exploited as a medium for conveyong new artistics stances. The fact that facades are again becoming a subject for discussion is no doubt due to the growing importance of the building envelope with respect to energy consomption and options for exploiting natural forms of energy