Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama is transforming his small Balkan nation into an unlikely architectural hotbed, attracting world-renowned studios including MVRDV, BIG, and Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura to create statement buildings across the country. In an exclusive interview, Rama explained his ambitious vision for using architecture as a catalyst for positive change in Albania, declaring that "an architecture festival is more important than a political summit."
Speaking from his office in Tirana, the 13-year prime minister and former mayor expressed his deep conviction in architecture's transformative power. "I am a big believer in architecture and the power of architecture to influence the way we live," Rama said. "I think that for a country like Albania, good architecture is an uplifting presence – it's a source of extra energy for the society and for the way we envision our future." Unusually for a world leader, Rama revealed himself to be a regular reader of Dezeen magazine, using it to discover architects currently working in Albania.
Rama's passion for architecture stems from his personal experiences both as Tirana's former mayor and his discovery of international architecture after Albania's communist regime fell in 1990. During his mayoral tenure, he initiated the city's ongoing transformation by demolishing more than 10,000 illegal buildings, a process he describes as "a very, very infernal period." This challenging experience taught him that "good architecture could change the direction in many ways – not just how we build, but how we think about our common life, our common place and the future in our common country."
The prime minister's architectural awakening came after decades of isolation under communism, where "architecture was just functionalism." His first encounter with the glass pyramid at the Louvre left him "very shocked," as he witnessed "this co-existence of two totally different eras and different architects, and different ways of understanding architecture in one space." This revelation shaped his understanding of architecture's potential to blend tradition with innovation.
Rama recently hosted the inaugural Bread & Heart architecture festival in Tirana, emphasizing that such events celebrate "something that is absolutely about everything else." He believes architects should have greater influence in political decision-making, lamenting that "architecture, which has been very important in the walk of life of the world for centuries, doesn't anymore have the place it used to in the affairs of countries." He noted that "for thousands of years architects were in the same space of kings and others [rulers], so it was part of the whole idea of building, or developing a country – to work with architects, to listen to them, to understand them."
Several radical high-rises are currently under construction in Tirana, designed by internationally acclaimed studios including MVRDV, Stefano Boeri Architetti, OMA, and Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura. These projects represent what Rama calls "the arch army of Albania" – a collection of world-class architectural talent working to reshape the nation's skyline. However, Rama insists that these international architects create buildings uniquely connected to Albania's identity and landscape.
"When it comes to identity, we try to tell them that we want buildings that are related to the intelligence of the territory," Rama explained. "We don't want the generic architecture or the global architecture, we don't want to have beautiful buildings that belong simply to the world and not at all to us. We want buildings that belong to us and the world." He emphasized his desire for authentic connections between architects and Albania, stating, "We don't want stars falling from the sky and becoming monuments. We want love stories between architects and Albania."
Some developments directly reference Albanian culture and history, such as the Skanderbeg Building, designed to resemble the head of Albania's national hero, and Downtown One Tirana, which features a pixelated map of the country on its facade. Rama praised international architects for embracing Albania's complex history, from its isolated communist past to the chaotic post-1990s period of uncontrolled development. "The country has changed from being very isolated, brutally organized, with no freedom and a totally linear, ultra-functionalist, not-at-all-open-to-creativity architecture, to a country that suddenly became the platform of illegal interventions all over the place," he said.
The prime minister takes a hands-on approach to ensuring architectural quality and cultural relevance. He recounted advising one prominent architect whose building design seemed unsuitable for Tirana: "I saw the building, and I said, 'listen, it's a beautiful building, but there's a problem, it can't be built here – it should be built in Dubai.' And the guy said, 'but Tirana is the new Dubai?' I said, 'no, Tirana is not the new Dubai. Tirana is Tirana.'" Rama encouraged the architect to "come and talk to the mountain, listen to the river, try to understand what the earth is whispering to you, look at the trees, look at the people, eat some things, drink something, and let's see what will happen."
Despite criticism from international media questioning the funding and motivations behind Tirana's rapid development, Rama dismissed such concerns as "bullshit" and "popcorn" for sensationalist consumption. "Because the impact is very strong, there is a lot of bullshit in the mainstream media internationally, asking about what is behind this, how are they built, money laundering, criminality – all this crazy shit," he said. "These people that make these comments are popcorn producers. They just make popcorn for the people who go to the movie, and the day after what remains is the movie, not the popcorn."
Rama believes this influx of international architectural talent will cultivate the next generation of Albanian architects, creating what he calls "the biggest open-air university of architecture." Local and young architects working alongside these renowned international figures gain invaluable experience and exposure to cutting-edge design approaches. "All the local architects, the young architects, they work with these guys, they have these experiences," Rama noted. "So I believe that in 10 years we'll have our own star. We'll have our Bjarke [Ingels] in 10 years. Why not?"
The prime minister's architectural vision extends beyond individual buildings to encompass Albania's broader national identity and international reputation. He takes pride in having buildings "that on one hand are eligible for your publication, and on the other hand you cannot imagine in Rome or Paris or Amsterdam." This unique architectural character, emerging from Albania's specific historical and geographical context, represents Rama's ultimate goal: creating a distinctive Albanian architectural language that speaks to both local identity and global architectural discourse.
