The Congress Palace in Tirana was built for the political purposes of an era in Albania that has, quite rightly, passed. After 1991, the building served as an important cultural venue, and today, in a country experiencing rapid economic growth, the Congress Palace is being reintegrated into the urban fabric. A new, green square will be created in front of the building, a 260-metre-tall skyscraper will rise behind it, and residents will be able to gather on the redeveloped roof terrace. Interestingly, the Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron has decided to preserve the most important elements of the building’s brutalist architecture.
A new era
When the new, lavish Congress Palace was opened in 1986, Albania’s oppressive communist regime was already on its last legs. The dictator Enver Hoxha had died the year before, and the era of isolationism in Europe’s poorest country was drawing to a close. Today, however, Albania – and Tirana in particular – is brimming with new, ambitious skyscrapers and Western investment. The redevelopment of the Congress Palace also has a symbolic dimension.
A new meeting place will be created in front of the palace. Green boulevards will surround the building and bring order to the rapidly changing neighbourhood. The architects at Herzog & de Meuron will merely refresh the modernist façade of the building, which has stood out for years with its striking form. However, the real changes will take place behind the building and on its roof.
Behind the Congress Palace, a 260-metre-tall skyscraper with a distinctive sloping side will be built. It is intended to attract attention not only through the building’s height but also through its intriguing geometry. It is worth noting that many new projects in Tirana feature a tower component, despite not having a particularly ‘skyscraper-like’ function. For example, Albania’s national stadium – the Arena Kombëtare – situated next to the Palace, consists of a futuristic concave stadium structure and a 112-metre-tall skyscraper. This design stems from a desire to maximise space and make the most of the limited plot area in the rapidly developing capital.
Open to the city
The refreshed and better-lit atrium will become the building’s inviting centrepiece. The visualisations show that the architects intend to preserve the building’s existing architectural and artistic features, such as the sculpture of a woman holding the Albanian flag. Meanwhile, the building’s main auditorium will be converted into a more functional and spacious venue. The segmented ceiling will now open up into a well-lit, funnel-shaped opening. Furthermore, the number of seats in the auditorium will increase from 2,100 to 2,350.
The biggest changes, however, will take place on the roof. The event spaces will be moved from the basement to the roof, and the four halls combined will accommodate as many as 1,100 people. The roof will become a modern space for exhibitions, meetings and relaxation, whilst cafés and restaurants will attract passers-by to the refurbished building.
Herzog & de Meuron won first place in the architectural competition in June 2026. The project is in its early design phase, so it is not yet known when construction will begin or end. The project is a good example of how rapidly Albania is changing and the vast potential the country offers. Old communist buildings and bunkers are being converted into increasingly sophisticated commercial premises and skyscrapers. Interestingly, the value of foreign investment in Albania for 2025 stood at €1.64 billion, and the country’s annual GDP has tripled between 2016 and 2026. You can read about another unusual investment in Tirana HERE and HERE.
Source of visualisation: Herzog & de Meuron
See also: Architecture | Skyscraper | Albania | Metamorphosis | whiteMAD on Instagram
