CNN
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In Albania’s capital, Tirana, where a series of new towers will soon change the landscape, architects have unveiled plans for a new double tower that will bend gracefully like the plié of a ballet dancer, or a lover leaning in for a kiss.
These were the two points of view for the Bond Tower, a 50-story residential building and hotel that seems to trick the eyes. Designed by Portuguese architecture firm OODA, the skyscraper will consist of two connected buildings gently separated before joining, giving a twisted effect.
Residents will live on one side and hotel guests on the other, with office and retail space combined over several floors. The mountains that surround the city will be visible in the wrong place between the buildings, explained Diogo Brito, partner of OODA.
Located on the corner of a highway, the color of the Bond Tower changes depending on which way you approach it, he added.
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The Bond Tower was designed by firm OODA, which has three other projects underway in the city.
“We got this idea of ​​having this dance between these two scrolls … like a simple meeting in the corner,” Brito said in a phone interview. “It’s very important for us to have this balance – this balances the beauty of the structure and the structure.”
Heinz-Peter Bader / Reuters
Klimt “The Kiss” was the visual representation for the new tower.
The design team designed the structure using many visual references, including the “grace” of ballet dance movement and the romantic gesture of Gustav Klimt’s famous 1908 painting “The Kiss.”
But OODA also wanted to integrate Tirana’s natural surroundings into the building, which Brito says is a concept of sustainability thanks to its carbon-absorbing stones. “The most interesting thing when you arrive in Tirana is the presence of those mountains, and to make them (visible) through that gap is something that was interesting for us to photograph,” he added.
In addition to its visual appeal, the unusual shape also provides structural stability in an earthquake-prone area, Brito explained.
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The project will be divided into residential and tourist sections, with mixed office and retail space.
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The renderings show how the view of the surrounding mountains will peek through the gap between the two towers.
The project will break ground at the end of the year, according to the architect, with the tower scheduled for completion at the end of 2028. It will be one of the many new buildings sending the skyline of the capital of Albania to rise and transform the city into an architectural building. where the space ends.
Earlier this month, the National Regional Council of Albania approved a new tower that would become the tallest building in the city, according to local news reports. Several other high-rise buildings are already under construction in the capital, including two 58-story towers: Mount Tirana by Denmark’s CEBRA architecture and Tirana Tour by Spain’s Bofill Arquitectura.
And, in January, Architectural Digest magazine hosted one of the city’s newest jewels — a stunning, colorful pyramid designed by Dutch studio MVRDV, renovated from a gallery ancient history in ruins – one of the most innovative architectural projects in the world.
OODA alone is working on three other projects in the city, including a new television station headquarters inspired by a series of movie reels. This month, OODA will debut a green residential tower called Hora Vertikale designed for a “vertical city,” according to the firm.
At the site where the Bond Tower will rise, Brito expects the OODA plan to soon be joined by other high-profile partners.
“In Albania, the next years – let’s say the next 10 to 15 years – will be very special,” he said.
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