A7 Design Studio: Golden Reflections is a residential building located on one of Tirana’s main roads “ Rruga e Elbasanit “, near the Artistic Lyceum.
Like most residential buildings built in the last two decades in Albania, especially in Tirana, the ground level is used for retail spaces like shops and cafes. The upper 8 floors accommo- date a variety of apartments, 17 in total, while two underground floors are used for parking. The top floor consists of only one big luxury apartment. All of the levels are accessed from a staircase positioned at the center of the building. The volume diminishes on the sixth-floor level creating a roof terrace, used by the occupants of that floor. Given the building’s loca- tion, it provides high-standard apartment amenities intended to add quality to the residents’ living experience.
Curved corners emphasize the continuous lines along the street, respecting the scale and qualities of the surrounding context, but at the same time representing a striking counter- point to the existing buildings in the area. While developing the concept of the volume, we adapted it to fit the requirements of the site, encouraging a more efficient urban intervention without changing the density of the area, therefore keeping unchanged the local urban den- sity parameters. The resulting footprint of the building allowed us to design different types of apartments on each floor, therefore offering the future inhabitants a dynamic spatial quality and the opportunity to choose their desired apartment typology.
The building system consists of a reinforced concrete structure and brick walls, the most common and traditional method used in the region, but less used, especially in buildings of this type is the curtain wall cladding system. That is why one of the main features of the build- ing, and perhaps the most eye-catching, is the cladding of the facade. Golden glass tiles of different shades and nuances are used in the entirety of the exterior, creating a mosaic-like design that reflects light beautifully, each element strengthening the massive appearance of the building.
Black alucobond panels are used to emphasize the horizontal stripes, giving contrast to the rest of the volume. These materials and their textures add solidity and consistency to the visual aspects of the project, giving it a uniform but at the same time varied facade design. The storefronts of the ground floor combine appropriate signage, lighting, colors, materials, and windows that create a sense of unification, illustrate the brand of the whole building, and provide a great pedestrian experience.
