The Lighthouse
Residential / Hotel
Velipojë, Albania
Northern Albanian limestone and traditional craft weaving textures are synthesized into a prefabricated concrete anatomy, filtering wind, shadow, and light.
Patriarcado Palace
Next Project
Residential / Hotel
Velipojë, Albania
Use
Residential / Hotel
Local
Velipojë, Albania
Status
Concept Design
Year
2026
Type
Commission
Size
18474 m²
Images
Okdraw
Framed by the natural rhythms of the coastline, the design implements a circular geometry structured around a centralized cylindrical core. This centralization frees the outer perimeter from structural constraints, allowing a 360-degree choreography of panoramic views where the changing light of the seafront at dusk merges with the urban fabric of the cityscape.
The formal language captures and distills the local landscape texturing. The spiral geometry of the native pine cone, the profiles of traditional fishing boats, and the intricate patterns of Northern Albanian craft weaving are translated into an alternating metric of three-dimensional balconies. These concave and convex surfaces act as a dynamic building envelope that manages solar incidence and filters the sea breeze, creating a shifting dialogue of light and deep shadow across the facade.
The architectural composition is oriented toward optimizing perimeter exposure while maintaining a direct dialogue with the surrounding topography and the existing urban fabric. The vertical infrastructure and technical access systems are centralized within the core, leaving the perimeter open for light-filled residential and hospitality units. Continuous circular balconies ring every level, creating an alternating three-dimensional metric of concave and convex surfaces that naturally manage solar incidence throughout the day.
The structural grid is designed around flexibility and environmental integration. Wrapped in a continuous facade that reacts to local climatic conditions, the building promotes microclimates of biodiversity through incorporated green terraces and native coastal vegetation.
The material palette is rooted in the local environment, incorporating Northern Albanian limestone, textures that replicate traditional craft weaving techniques, and coastal vegetation. Prefabricated concrete elements and perforated surface panels handle passive thermal regulation, solar gain control, and acoustic comfort, filtering light, shadow, and wind flows across the building skin as an environmental strategy embedded directly into the architecture.
