The architecture of Mother Teresa Square (Sheshi Nënë Tereza), one of the most iconic spaces in the capital, will be enhanced by the installation of the “Tirana Mooons” artwork by architect Chris Precht. This project will create a green oasis and a public space dedicated to books. Prime Minister Edi Rama attended the project’s presentation today, emphasizing its uniqueness, particularly its mobility and the possibility of relocating it to other spaces.
“It’s important that the project is entirely designed to be movable. It’s not a construction that will impact the structure of the square. Instead, it’s a functional installation, fully environmentally friendly and people-friendly, that can be moved to another location at any time. I believe this project will be completed soon, and people will get to enjoy a special environment, one that focuses on children, but also welcomes families and others. It won’t be a café, but rather a family-oriented space, with the main attraction being designed for children,” said Prime Minister Rama about the project.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Greetings! It’s truly significant that this well-conceived and high-quality project, in terms of architecture, is being brought to life by a talented architect, Chris Precht, who, despite his youth, is among the most gifted architects of his generation globally.
Now, a few thoughts I’ve also shared with Erion. First, it’s important that the project is entirely designed to be movable, meaning it won’t affect the square’s structure. It’s a livable, eco-friendly installation, designed for people, that can be relocated at any time. I believe that at this stage, this is the right approach. A second phase should be planned to address the surrounding steps, which have been neglected for years due to what Frida pointed out earlier: instead of being a space that invites people in, it’s a crossroads where cars and people just pass through. If the modules in the heart of the square were extended to the surrounding steps, this could create more space for people, especially families and children, offering them a more intimate environment, separated from the traffic.
In the meantime, another phase should consider including the square in larger underground parking projects. This doesn’t exclude bringing the installation back there, as the installation is flexible and can be relocated anywhere. I even think this module could be used in other neighborhood squares in Tirana, to further encourage urban pedestrian life.
Tirana has now become a place where things are happening quietly, without noise or advertisements, but with a significant impact on the world of contemporary architecture. Many in the global architectural community consider it similar to the unique experience of New York in the 1930s. This is because a wide network of world-renowned architects, laureates of the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel of architecture, along with others, including Chris, are working on projects across Albania, but mainly in Tirana.
In June, we’ve planned to host the first edition of a festival called “Bread and Heart”, with the motto “Please bring me some salt”. It will bring together all the key figures behind this transformation—architects—and I believe this will become an annual event. It will not only take place in Tirana but also in other parts of Albania, possibly in Elbasan this year, with students, architects, professors, critics, and architecture enthusiasts from all over the world.
With all this in mind, I believe that in a short time, the project we’re discussing today will come to life, and people will be able to enjoy a unique and special environment. The main focus will certainly be on children, but also on families and others. However, it’s important to note that it won’t cater to the usual café-goers who spend long hours there. These will rather be family-oriented spaces, where the main attraction will be designed for children.
I want to thank Chris once again, and I would also like to thank the municipal team for the work they’ve done and for bringing this process to where it is today. I am fully convinced that when Tirana, as we see it being developed step by step behind the scenes—where the architects, the developers, and the preliminary processes are—takes shape in the reality of all the capital’s residents and in the reality of all of Albania, it will be the most extraordinary capital in the region. This is indisputable, and it will also become one of the most attractive capitals in Europe, and I say this with complete confidence.
It will be a city with even more, and much stronger, reasons to visit. If Bilbao, once an industrial city facing many challenges, was transformed by an extraordinary work like Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum, which brought an impact that has entered the global lexicon as the “Bilbao Effect,” then here, the effect of what is being built and projected will undoubtedly be part of the history of this country and will endure for a long time.
Today, I am certain that this will mark the next phase in the development of Tirana, the capital. It started as a city with its boulevard and buildings designed by a handful of Italians, and soon it will join the ranks of the top cities in Europe—not thanks to just a few architects, but to an entire army of architects. We call it the Art Army among ourselves, and its impact will be just as significant as that of the Guggenheim in Bilbao.
As Erion Veliaj, who has learned this from me, often says: the best days are all ahead of us!
