As Vlore, Albania, continues to evolve along its Adriatic shoreline, Oppenheim Architecture introduces a fresh layer to the city’s waterfront fabric with a large-scale development. Set at a junction between the old town, the Soda Forest, and a newly built marina, the Vlore Beach Urban Development spans a 20,465-square-meter site and adds 89,320 square meters of new construction. At its heart is a central pedestrian promenade that runs from boulevard to beach, intended as a public spine that connects architecture with landscape and everyday life with the larger rhythms of the city.
The masterplan draws on the structure of Albanian village clusters, spontaneous, irregular, and shaped by social closeness, reimagined here through a series of nukli, or small-scale urban blocks. These colorful, human-scaled buildings are organized around shared spaces and stitched together by a civic corridor lined with cafés, squares, shops, and shaded public areas. The intent is to support a street life that feels open-ended, including spaces for markets, performances, casual gatherings, and informal rituals.
For these low-rise buildings, the team at Oppenheim Architecture uses stone, lime-based plasters, and timber detailing, referencing local construction techniques without replicating them. Their ground floors remain porous, encouraging overlap between commercial and communal activity. Above, shutters and screens introduce texture and rhythm while hinting at vernacular patterns, translated into a contemporary vocabulary.
Three towers, set within the block structure, rise above the otherwise modest scale of the neighborhood. Their positioning preserves view corridors and open space, while their facades follow the same design language to keep the architectural conversation consistent.
Vlore Beach Urban Development treats the site as a point of convergence, a place where the natural and built environments, the inherited and the emerging are layered.
△ Oppenheim建筑事務所設計的該項目為Vlore濱水區域注入了新的活力
Oppenheim Architecture introduces a fresh layer to the Vlore’s waterfront fabric
△ Vlore海灘城市開發項目占地20465㎡
the Vlore Beach Urban Development spans a 20,465-square-meter site
△ 街區中設計有一條步行長廊,從林蔭大道延伸至海灘
a central pedestrian promenade that runs from boulevard to beach
△ 該開發項目的總體規劃參考了Albanian鄉村聚落的結構特征
the masterplan draws on the structure of Albanian village clusters
△ 場地內設計有一條主軸線,將場地內的建筑與景觀相互串聯了起來
a public spine that connects architecture with landscape
△ 設計師設計有一條貫穿整個場地的civic走廊,走廊兩側設計有咖啡廳、活動廣場、商店與綠蔭遮蔽的公共活動區域
a civic corridor lined with cafés, squares, shops, and shaded public areas
△ Oppenheim建筑事務所對場地內所有的低層建筑使用石材、石灰基抹灰,在一些細節設計上使用的是木材
for low-rise buildings Oppenheim Architecture uses stone, lime-based plasters, and timber detailing
△ 建筑底層設計的相對通透開放
ground floors remain porous
△ 該項目規劃旨在設計營造一種開放自由、充滿生機的街頭生活氛圍
the intent is to support a street life that feels open-ended
△ 立面上的百葉窗與格柵的設計增添了紋理感
shutters and screens introduce texture
△ 設計師將色彩豐富、貼合人體尺度的建筑體塊圍繞著共享活動空間展開布局設計
colorful, human-scaled buildings are organized around shared spaces
△ 場地內設計有3座塔樓,其高度遠高于場地內的其它建筑
three towers rise above the otherwise modest scale of the neighborhood
△ 整個場地就像是一系列小型城市街區的縮影
a series of small-scale urban blocks
△ 場地內所有的建筑圖紙均由Oppenheim建筑事務所繪制提供
concept facades all diagrams by Oppenheim Architecture
項目信息:
項目名稱:Vlore海灘城市開發項目
建筑設計:Oppenheim建筑事務所
項目位置:Vlore, Albania
場地面積:20465㎡
建筑面積:89320㎡
業主方:Feniks Konstruksion SH.P.K.
首席設計師:Chad Oppenheim, Beat Huesler
設計負責人:Tom McKeogh (歐洲事務所負責人), Rasem Kamal (歐洲設計負責人)
總體規劃負責人:Alexandre Mecattaf
項目初步方案設計負責人:Jose Maria Urbiola (負責初步方案設計及方案深化)
設計團隊:Daniela Abella, Kristijan Markoc, Quirin Batsch, Helena Riesenberger, Laura Radics, Joana Sousa, Janet Vutcheva, Martino Cucurnia, Samuel Heitz, Inaya Berger
效果圖制作:MIR
project info:
name: Vlore Beach Urban Development
architect: Oppenheim Architecture | @oppenheimarchitecture
location: Vlore, Albania
site area: 20,465 square meters
built-up area: 89,320 square meters
client: Feniks Konstruksion SH.P.K.
head architects: Chad Oppenheim, Beat Huesler
design leads: Tom McKeogh (studio leader Europe), Rasem Kamal (design lead Europe)
masterplan lead: Alexandre Mecattaf
project concept leads: Jose Maria Urbiola (concept + SD refinement)
design team: Daniela Abella, Kristijan Markoc, Quirin Batsch, Helena Riesenberger, Laura Radics, Joana Sousa, Janet Vutcheva, Martino Cucurnia, Samuel Heitz, Inaya Berger
renderings: MIR | @mir.no