Overview
- The design selected through an international competition replaces the Asllan Rusi sports palace with a mixed-use sphere combining a 6,000-seat arena, hotel, apartments, and retail.
- Exceeding 100 meters in diameter, the spherical form occupies a site between the city center and the airport road, creating a 360-degree landmark without a rear façade.
- Ground level features a recessed ring of cafés and shops with public plazas and outdoor courts, while the arena sits above as the central tier.
- Two hotel floors are suspended over the stands with views through a central oculus, and apartments in a double-shell envelope encircle a semi-outdoor communal garden with upper duplexes and a glazed top oculus for ventilation and light.
- MVRDV situates the project within Tirana 2030’s densification goals, with Winy Maas referencing Boullée and Buckminster Fuller in presenting the sphere as a civic venue for sport and community.