Arup Adapts Residential Massing to Albania’s Mountainscape
Set on the Dajti plateau above Tirana, Albania, Dajti Village by Arup proposes a residential ensemble that embeds itself gently into a steep, forested landscape. Positioned between dense woodland, existing hospitality programs, and surrounding infrastructure, the project responds to the site’s dramatic topography through a fragmented spatial strategy that follows the natural contours of the slope rather than imposing a rigid order.
The development is composed of two primary buildings, accommodating apartments and an aparthotel program. Rather than being perceived as large monolithic blocks, the volumes are carefully articulated through the design of facades and roofscapes, breaking down their overall mass into smaller perceived units. This strategy gives the buildings a more human scale despite their overall dimension, allowing them to sit more comfortably within the forested landscape while maintaining architectural clarity.
all images courtesy of Arup Architecture Madrid
Pitched Roofs and Timber Facades Shape Dajti Village by Arup
At the heart of the project, a central platform links the two main buildings while also acting as the primary communal space. This elevated plane organizes circulation and gathering, creating a continuous public ground between programs. Beneath it, the design accommodates a partially embedded parking level, allowing the infrastructure to be absorbed into the topography and reducing its visual impact on the landscape above.
A lightweight timber envelope is layered over a more robust concrete structure, creating a dual system that combines permanence with warmth and tactility. Deep balconies and verandas extend each dwelling outward, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior and framing continuous visual connections to the surrounding forest and distant mountain views.
With pitched roofs and a restrained material palette, the project by Arup Architecture Group develops a geometric language inspired by the logic of traditional mountain villages rather than alpine architecture per se. The composition reflects the way vernacular settlements are formed through clustered, incremental volumes, adapted to terrain, scale, and proximity, resulting in a contemporary interpretation of mountain-built typologies embedded within the forested landscape. Dajti Village is set to be presented publicly at the Bread & Heart Festival on June 3rd, 2026.
pitched roofs reinterpret the geometry of vernacular mountain villages
timber-clad volumes step gently across the forested Dajti plateau
deep verandas frame panoramic views toward the surrounding woodland
fragmented rooflines follow the contours of the Albanian mountainside
forest views extend through deep balcony openings
terraced volumes reduce the perceived scale of the development
timber facades introduce texture and rhythm across the sloping site
verandas blur the boundary between interior space and mountain landscape
the concrete base is partially absorbed into the hillside terrain
