Tirana plans to transform Mother Teresa Square into a mainly pedestrian public space. The project will move many of the square’s new functions underground.
The Albanian Development Fund has launched a tender for the project. It has set a budget limit of 20.8 billion lek, or around €21 million, for the comprehensive redevelopment.
According to the technical plan, the project will include an underground parking facility, an archaeological museum, the Mother Teresa Chapel, service areas and a new public square.
Meanwhile, the project will significantly change traffic circulation. Authorities plan to move traffic currently crossing the surface of the square to the second underground level.
Three ramps will provide access to the underground network. Each ramp will have two lanes. One will connect to Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, between the Palace of Congresses and the Presidential Office. Two others will connect to Lek Dukagjini Street.
The ramps will link to an underground circulation ring. The parking facility will sit at the center of this network.
The parking area will lie 7.75 meters underground and provide around 170 spaces. It will also connect directly to the other underground areas of the complex.
In addition, the project will create a new sunken public square four meters below ground level. This space will serve as a distribution point for the cultural and public facilities.
The plan includes around 500 square meters for the archaeological museum entrance and reception area. It also provides a 700-square-meter chapel dedicated to Mother Teresa and a restaurant-bar covering around 340 square meters.
Finally, the project aims to place most new functions underground. As a result, it will limit new above-ground structures and preserve the square’s monumental character. It will also protect the visual relationship between the square and the historic buildings around it.
/a.c/
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