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建筑事务所设计的该项目为Vlore滨水区域注入了新的活力
Oppenheim Architecture introduces a fresh layer to the Vlore’s waterfront fabric
△ Vlore海滩城市开发项目占地20465㎡
the Vlore Beach Urban Development spans a 20,465-square-meter site
△ 街区中设计有一条步行长廊,从林荫大道延伸至海滩
a central pedestrian promenade that runs from boulevard to beach
△ 该开发项目的总体规划参考了Albanian乡村聚落的结构特征
the masterplan draws on the structure of Albanian village clusters
△ 场地内设计有一条主轴线,将场地内的建筑与景观相互串联了起来
a public spine that connects architecture with landscape
△ 设计师设计有一条贯穿整个场地的civic走廊,走廊两侧设计有咖啡厅、活动广场、商店与绿荫遮蔽的公共活动区域
a civic corridor lined with cafés, squares, shops, and shaded public areas
△ Oppenheim建筑事务所对场地内所有的低层建筑使用石材、石灰基抹灰,在一些细节设计上使用的是木材
for low-rise buildings Oppenheim Architecture uses stone, lime-based plasters, and timber detailing
△ 建筑底层设计的相对通透开放
ground floors remain porous
△ 该项目规划旨在设计营造一种开放自由、充满生机的街头生活氛围
the intent is to support a street life that feels open-ended
△ 立面上的百叶窗与格栅的设计增添了纹理感
shutters and screens introduce texture
△ 设计师将色彩丰富、贴合人体尺度的建筑体块围绕着共享活动空间展开布局设计
colorful, human-scaled buildings are organized around shared spaces
△ 场地内设计有3座塔楼,其高度远高于场地内的其它建筑
three towers rise above the otherwise modest scale of the neighborhood
△ 整个场地就像是一系列小型城市街区的缩影
a series of small-scale urban blocks
△ 场地内所有的建筑图纸均由Oppenheim建筑事务所绘制提供
concept facades all diagrams by Oppenheim Architecture
项目信息:
项目名称:Vlore海滩城市开发项目
建筑设计:Oppenheim建筑事务所
项目位置:Vlore, Albania
场地面积:20465㎡
建筑面积:89320㎡
业主方:Feniks Konstruksion SH.P.K.
首席设计师:Chad Oppenheim, Beat Huesler
设计负责人:Tom McKeogh (欧洲事务所负责人), Rasem Kamal (欧洲设计负责人)
总体规划负责人:Alexandre Mecattaf
项目初步方案设计负责人:Jose Maria Urbiola (负责初步方案设计及方案深化)
设计团队:Daniela Abella, Kristijan Markoc, Quirin Batsch, Helena Riesenberger, Laura Radics, Joana Sousa, Janet Vutcheva, Martino Cucurnia, Samuel Heitz, Inaya Berger
效果图制作: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