Comfort Conditions and Energy Consumption in Prefabricated Houses in Tirana

The prefabricated buildings were a momentary solution to the emergent housing problem in Albania during the 1980s. The modular structures were built in minimal costs by using Chinese technology and expertise. A considerable number of buildings were completed all over the country till the beginning of the '90s. These constructions represent today an important part of the housing stock which is seeking retrofit interventions. Due to their design, technology and also due to the lack of maintenance, the prefabricated housing blocks represent today one of the most problematical typologies in terms of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. The objective of the paper is to evaluate the energetic performance of the prefabricated buildings in Tirana, to understand the comfort conditions provided in them and the factors affecting the components of comfort. The research is based on data acquired on a survey conducted in May 2013 and measurements made on case studies. The results deduce preliminary conclusions about the potential of renovation and feasible targets in improving the comfort conditions in these buildings

The Fractal Dimension as Alternative Theoretical Tool to Examine and Develop Urban Patterns

Contemporary theories on urbanism admit the complex nature of the urban fabric. This means that reading and understanding urban facts requires a much more complex theoretical model than the Euclidian Geometry can offer. As Nikos Salingaros admits, we need to rethink the discipline of urbanism by involving algorithms as advanced developing tools. Urban patterns are produced by complex algorithms which describe their morphology and not just their geometry in Vitruvian terms. Especially in vernacular (self-grown) patterns is noted the presence of fractal algorithms as urban fabric generators. This research intends to identify and evaluate the fractal nature of Korça’s vernacular pattern by using the fractal dimension as measurement tool. By observing Korça’s pattern is easy to note the phenomena of the self-similarity and of a morphological hierarchy transmitted across the scales. Through a multi-scale analysis this research aims to verify the hypothesis of the fractal nature of this pattern. The self-affinity phenomena will be explored in the repetitive presence of specific planar motifs in different urban scales. Theoretically, the fractal dimension controls the dispersion of mass over a structure and in this case it gives information about the fragmentation scale of the build environment. The measurement process is done by the use of the box-counting method and the Fractalyse software. On one hand the research identifies the fractal nature of a self-grown pattern; on the other one it raises an important question: Can we list the fractal dimension as an additional parameter which gives more complete information about the urban morphologies

Albanian bunkers. Modern fortifications built in socialism

[EN] During the communist regime of Enver Hoxha, Albania built nearly 200 000 bunkers as a measure of protection towards an imaginary attack from (un)known enemies of the Popular Socialist Republic. Most of these structures built in concrete are still part of the landscapes almost in every part of the territory. While the most common type is small and identified from the semi spherical shape, particular bunkers have quite large dimensions and specific features related to their function and location. During the last five years, three of the most unique modern fortifications built during socialism for the displacement of the governmental authorities in case of war, were revealed and made accessible to the public. These structures, transformed today in museums, cultural spaces or simply visitable attractions, are the symbol of an auto-referenced reality within Europe, where the paranoia produced an unusual typology of modern age fortifications. These bunkers, planned to withstand twentieth century military attacks, are extraordinary structures in terms of engineering and building features, and at the same time they represent a very valuable heritage related to the history of communism in Albania. This article aims to offer a comprehensive analysis of the fortification of the Albanian territory during the twentieth century as an overall country defence plan, while focusing on the governmental bunkers in order to understand how the ideological differences with the rest of the world created the need for protection and produced an amazing military infrastructure. The discussion on the future of these structures seems to be strongly related to the ability of recognising these modern fortifications on the Mediterranean as cultural heritage.Veizaj, D.; Islami, G.; Maliqari, A. (2020). Albanian bunkers. Modern fortifications built in socialism. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1009-1016. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2020.2020.11492OCS1009101