Press release

Rotterdam February 18, 2021

Construction Begins on the Pyramid in Tirana, Albania – MVRDV breathes

new life into complex communist monument
Construction has started on the Pyramid of Tirana, the brutalist monument in the heart of
Albania’s capital city. MVRDV's design will see this crucial heritage building, once the showpiece of
Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, dramatically renovated. The concrete structure will be reused,
the atrium and its surroundings greened and opened, and a small village of cafes, studios,
workshops, and classrooms – where Albanian youth will learn various technology subjects for free
– will permeate the site, both inside and outside the pyramid itself. The Pyramid is thus expected
to become a new hub for Tirana's cultural life and a carrier for the new generation.

The 11,835m2 Pyramid has had several lives in the past: originally constructed as a museum
dedicated to Enver Hoxha, it has also served as a temporary base for NATO during the War in Kosovo,
a nightclub, and an event space. For many Albanians the Pyramid is now the symbol of the victory
over the regime. In an attempt to reclaim the deteriorating structure, the youth of Tirana have used
it as a hangout and a canvas for graffiti, and often climb it at night and then – not without risk – slide
down its slopes.

Plans in recent years to transform the structure only partially materialized, leaving the interior
cluttered and dark. MVRDV’s design will radically open up the building, which is now hermetically
sealed and inaccessible. Huge glass flaps close the building when it rains. Additions from previous
renovations will be stripped away to reveal a voluminous interior space. Trees and other greenery
give this open space a welcoming appearance. Boxes containing individual rooms are placed inside,
upon, and around the existing structure. This will create a village of classrooms, studios, cafes, and
restaurants. Non-profit educational institution TUMO Tirana will be the main user of the Pyramid,
providing free afterschool education for 12- to 18-year-olds in new techniques such as software,
robotics, animation, music, and film.

Steps are added to the sloping concrete beams, making it safe for visitors to literally walk over this
former museum to the country’s dictator, right to the top of the pyramid – preserving the
appropriating that began with the citizens of Tirana. One of the beams will be preserved as a slope
that visitors can slide down – at their own risk. These steps can also be used for sightseeing and
temporary events, returning the Pyramid and the surrounding plaza to their function as an important
central point for cultural life in Tirana.

“Working on a brutalist monument like the Pyramid is a dream”, says founding partner of MVRDV
Winy Maas. “It is striking and interesting to see how the country struggled with the future of the
building, which on one hand is a controversial chapter in the country’s history, and on the other hand
has already been partly reclaimed by the residents of Tirana. I immediately saw its potential, and that
it should be possible to make it even more of a ‘people's monument’ instead of demolishing it. The
challenging part is to create a new relationship between the building and its surroundings. I am
confident our design establishes this. I am looking forward to seeing young people and for the first
time older people climbing the steps to the rooftop!”

The transformation of the Pyramid shows how a building can be made suitable for a new era, while
at the same time preserving its complex history, and demonstrates that historic brutalist buildings
are ideal for reuse. The project also meets a number of the Sustainable Development Goals outlined
by the United Nations. Rather than wastefully demolish the structure, its robust concrete shell is
adapted along circular economy principles. This principle is further developed in the design of the
exterior steps, which use the stone tiles that originally adorned the façade as aggregate in the new
concrete.

As the majority of the structure is open to the surroundings for most of the year, only the added
boxes housing the educational program need to be climate-controlled, reducing energy
consumption. Social sustainability is advanced in the building’s new use, with the educational
programme advancing education and preparing the next generation for success.

The transformation of the Pyramid of Tirana is co-financed by the central and local government with
the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF). Several dignitaries were present at the
construction kick-off on February 4th 2021, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Tirana
Mayor Erion Veliaj, and the co-CEOs of the Albanian-American Development Foundation Mr
Aleksandër Sarapuli and Martin Mata.