BIG Reveals Winning Designs For Bow Tie National Theatre in Albania

Architecture, Competitions

Announced as a winner of an International competition, Bjarke Ingels Group [BIG Architects] has revealed its design for the new national theatre in the European city of Tirana, Albania. The bow-tie national theatre building is planned to replace the city’s existing theatre.

Courtesy of © Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)

Spanning an area of 9,300 m2, the bow-tie National Theatre of Albania is located in a cultural area in Tirana’s iconic Skanderbeg square and is near to the National Art Gallery and the National Opera.

Courtesy of © Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)

The new building’s master plan does not only offer three auditoriums and an open-air rooftop amphitheater but also provides a large public plaza and a cafeteria. The bow-tie national theatre features an exterior form that integrates with the public.

Courtesy of © Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)

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Formulated as two interconnected forms, the building’s bow-shape allows visitors to pass under the elevated compressed structure, acting as an archway that connects the two sides of the building together.

Courtesy of © Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)

“The theatre is conceived as two buildings connected by the main auditorium: one for the audience and one for the performers,” said the founder of the Danish firm, Bjarke Ingels. “Underneath, the theatre arches up from the ground creating an entrance canopy for the audience as well as for the performers, while opening a gateway to the new urban arcade beyond. Above, the sloping roof mirrors the archway, forming an open-air amphitheater with a backdrop to the city’s skyline.

Courtesy of © Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)

In an official statement, Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj says that the bow tie National theatre will act as a “bow tie that ties together artists, dreamers and all talented people with the aspirations of a city changing to fifth gear in its yearning for constant change and place-making.”

Courtesy of © Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)

“Tirana is going through an era of unprecedented transformation and innovation,” he said. “The city is becoming greener with a major tree plantation drive of two million trees. Tourism has grown 2.5-fold in recent years as we have become a leading city-break destination.” “BIG’s new theatre will become a crown jewel of this transformation in the heart of the capital,” added the mayor of the Capital city of Albania.