Alda Çapi Black (MArch ‘11) is heading to Tirana, Albania, to accept first place award in the MOBILIciTY international competition for design of the city’s transportation station. Her collaborator is Chris Masicampo (MArch ’12).
Charged with establishing easier connections to the main activities and services in the heart of the city, Masicampo and Black created a hybrid design that combines a transportation center with recreational facilities. It allows commuters to navigate fluidly among different modes of transportation – light rail, commuter rail, buses, cars and bicycles – and offers opportunities for people to shop, eat, work and play.
The site, at a distance from the city center, incorporates a hotel and office tower and many community amenities: event venues, park, soccer field, tennis courts, swimming pools, and cafes. A retail spine unifies the diverse program and creates transitional space between horizontal and vertical. Undulating bands modulate natural light, and the tower contributes density as well as iconography. In keeping with the scale of the city, the design creates a commuter and communal hub resonant with the future development of Tirana.
The work will be exhibited in Tirana this week as part of Tirana Architecture week, during which Black will attend the awards ceremony.
Images in collaboration with nephew-la