Eco-Community Center
Basic information
Project Title
Eco-Community Center
Category
Regaining a sense of belonging
Project Description
This project combines nods to traditional rural architecture of mountainous rural Albania with ecological design and technology to create a space which blends a connection to the national past with connections to the timeless natural environment. In this way, we will offer a space in our community where the traditional balance between human lifestyles and the world around us is restored after generations of harsh industrial conflict.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Fushe-Arrez, Albania
Urban or rural issues
It addresses urban-rural linkages
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
This project will support the construction of an Eco-Community Center on a hill overlooking the city of Fushe-Arrez, about 10 minutes walk from the center of town. The overall aim of the project is to create a beautiful space which highlights the cultural and natural heritage of the Fushe-Arrez area and can be used for gatherings and events. The key target groups are youth and children who need a safe, independent place for gatherings and after-school activities, the local community, and outside organizations who are looking for a place to hold events.
Our town suffers from two main challenges - degradation of the physical environment and hollowing out of the community through emigration. The result of these challenges is a physical environment, both natural and built, which is in decline due to pollution and neglect. The lack of pleasant, engaging spaces for relaxation and public events contributes to exclusion and alienation, especially for young people, further pushing emigration to other, more vibrant areas.
This space will address these issues by offering a safe place for young people to gather, which unlike other public spaces are not closed after school hours or are commercialized. It will give us a link to our traditions and our local environment through its design, improve linkages in the community, and create local pride and belonging.
Our town suffers from two main challenges - degradation of the physical environment and hollowing out of the community through emigration. The result of these challenges is a physical environment, both natural and built, which is in decline due to pollution and neglect. The lack of pleasant, engaging spaces for relaxation and public events contributes to exclusion and alienation, especially for young people, further pushing emigration to other, more vibrant areas.
This space will address these issues by offering a safe place for young people to gather, which unlike other public spaces are not closed after school hours or are commercialized. It will give us a link to our traditions and our local environment through its design, improve linkages in the community, and create local pride and belonging.
Key objectives for sustainability
Our region has great advantages in sustainability - our electricity is almost all hydropower and we have the highest proportion of forest cover in all of Albania. However, we are limited by the effects of our past; our river is heavily polluted because of our local factory, our forests have suffered from decades of overlogging, and plastic trash pollutes many of our streams. We believe much of the reason we have not been able to improve this situation as a community is a lack of interest in nature and the fact that many people plan to leave our town, meaning they care less about preserving its beauty. By offering a community place surrounded by nature but convenient to our town, we hope to improve interest in the natural environment, especially in the youth.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Like much of the rest of Northern Albania, the rapid industrialization of the Communist period in Fushe-Arrez led to a domination of the architectural landscape by brutalist, concrete architecture which has been only marginally improved upon in the last years. Further, what improvements do exist are limited to private residences and businesses; public spaces largely lack character, even those which have been renovated. As a result, our town and our area has lost its aesthetic uniqueness and connection to the unique cultural heritage of the North. This structure has been designed specifically to combine traditional culture and natural beauty to create a cozy, warm environment which contrasts strongly with the post-industrial architecture which dominates the rest of the region.
Key objectives for inclusion
The concept of this project is specifically aimed at providing an accessible and inclusive public space where none previously exists. Currently, it is difficult for people, especially youth, to enjoy public spaces - especially natural spaces. Schools fully close after the day is done; local bars and cafes are smoke-filled, cost money, and usually patronized by older people; and most nearby natural areas are either unsafe due to pollution or are privately owned. Our town has no library or multifunctional area which is regularly open for public use. This space will be the first to be inclusionary to all people, especially youth and children, who currently have nowhere to go but home, contributing to isolation and alienation from the community.
How Citizens benefit
It is common in Albania today for organizations to support the creation of multifunctional centers for community gatherings and public events, similar to our concept. However, these centers are often generic and unwelcoming because they prioritize the needs of organizations who host them, such as minimizing costs or holding rare events for the sake of foreign projects, rather than the actual use of people in the community. Our space will be different – it will be designed around the way people actually live, and will prioritize creating an interesting and beautiful environment that people will want to be in. In addition, it will center the interaction between humans and the natural environment, offering an outside space to complement the center.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Innovative character
Besides consulting with citizens who would use the center, we consulted with local government experts, who offered suggestions on the practicality of the concept from an environmental, construction, and legal standpoint; we also worked with a professional architect who suggested design elements. This input gives us a realistic view of the practicality of implementation in the short and long runs and possible options for funding and maintenance.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
This project was designed entirely locally. We have prioritized the specific needs of our community and the local context, and so have not included outside stakeholders. We have discussed and gathered input from our local government and a local NGO.
Methodology used
We use a bottom-up approach to design when working on the project; we have designed the layout based on how we would like to use a public space ourselves, combined with input from our peers and other institutions in our city.
How stakeholders are engaged
This project has been conceived of and designed from the start wholly by people who live in Fushe-Arrez and will directly benefit from the outcome and use the space.
Global challenges
Modern trends towards minimalism and prioritizing size and practicality over beauty is increasingly creating a world where local culture is being crowded out by global trends. This is most obvious in architecture, where older forms of buildings which distinguished cities and regions from each other are currently being replaced by generic structures. This reduces national and local pride and the value of unique cultural heritage for tourism purposes.
Learning transferred to other parties
We hope that our success will provide an example for other similar spaces being created in Albania and the Western Balkans to show the value of prioritizing aesthetics and usability.
Keywords
Reconnection
Beauty
Tradition
Nature
Relaxation
