“Comment is free, but facts are sacred.” — C. P. Scott, 1921.
From “Raum” to “The One”: the towers transforming Blloku
Erblin Vukaj · Originally published: 9 December 2024
In this article
Blloku, the former restricted leadership quarter and once the most popular area for bars and nightlife, is becoming a space dominated by towers. One of them is The One, a 10-storey building designed “not for everyone”, with prices exceeding €4,500 per square metre. This urban transformation is reshaping the area’s future, prompting debate not only about the source of the money but also about the disappearance of historical memory and the social effects.
The One is being built at the intersection of Vaso Pasha and Brigada VIII streets, the most sought-after part of Blloku. With a permit obtained from the government in March 2022, the building is being developed by Texas Development and Daton, owned by the brothers Alban, Andi and Olsi Efthimi (Eftimi), and Arjan (Orion) Cenalla.
The Eftimi brothers also own Atelier 4, the practice that designed The One and at least three other towers in Blloku: the 9-storey building on Moskat Street and two 11-storey buildings on Nikolla Tupe and Sami Frashëri streets.
Designed for “housing and services”, the building incorporates modern architectural elements following a philosophy of “geometric duality,” reflecting the style previously used at the Credins Bank headquarters at the other intersection, a building also designed by Atelier 4 as the local practice (2007–2016).
Over the past decade, at least ten towers have radically changed Blloku’s character, replacing villas that became well-known bars and restaurants after the change of regime. The One is taking the place of a three-storey building that previously housed Raum and Tribeca, popular venues in Tirana’s nightlife.
The project thus follows the familiar development model favouring exclusive, vertical construction. From a residential area primarily serving housing and recreation, Blloku is becoming a luxury urban centre with a high concentration of offices and services, raising concerns about traffic and the lack of public spaces.
In this transformation, The One exemplifies the concentration of luxury projects, where high prices and most citizens’ inability to access these spaces will deepen social divisions further.
Origins in an architecture practice
Atelier 4 is one of the best-known practices designing public and private buildings in Albania.
The practice officially opened in 2003, founded by the Eftimi family, known for the academic contributions of Romeo and Tamara Gjoka-Eftimi in hydrogeology, urban planning and architecture. Tamara was rector of the Polytechnic University of Tirana (UPT) from 1997 to 2003.
From the outset, their partner was Altin Premti, a former UPT student and friend of the family’s sons. The eldest, Alban, who specialised in France and Italy, joined the group after serving as head of the Urban Planning Department during the first term of Edi Rama’s 2000–2011 tenure leading Tirana Municipality.
Contact with the man who would become the most powerful politician of the past 25 years, together with the strong expertise provided by academics Romeo and Tamara Eftimi, paved the way for Atelier 4’s success. With the help of collaborations with foreign practices, it delivered numerous studies and designs.
After 20 years in the market, the Atelier 4 name is associated with dozens of public and private projects: residences, villas and resorts, but also kindergartens, schools, hospitals and major projects such as airports and stadiums.
Its portfolio includes restoration projects such as TID Vlora, Hotel Dajti, the Kruja Ethnographic Museum and the National Museum mosaic.
Atelier 4 is listed as the designer of the Paediatrics, Emergency and Cardiology hospitals at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Centre (QSUT), as well as the hospitals in Laç, Fier and Kruja. It has similarly served as the local practice for the Loro Boriçi stadium, Elbasan Arena and Kukës Airport.
Among its most talked-about projects, however, are the New Bazaar, ArTurbina, the Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Credins Bank headquarters.
Atelier 4 has also collaborated with international practices, including Bolles+Wilson on the tower behind the 15-storey building in the centre, 51N4E on Hotel Plaza, also in the centre, Coop Himmelb(I)au on the two towers of 21–22 storeys expected to be built in Vlora and, most recently, NOA Architects on the concept for a tower presented as a “vertical village”, planned for Komuna e Parisit.
From designers to construction investors
The Eftimi brothers are becoming “major players” in construction, integrating design and development within their business, as they have also been construction investors since 2019. Alban appears to be the leading figure in the business.
In January 2019, Alban Eftimi founded Texas Development and a year later shared the business with his brothers Olsi and Andi. He also reorganised his business portfolio, transferring his stakes in Atelier 4 (60%) and Texas Development (80%) under the umbrella of Zurich Investment Group, founded in 2021.
Together with Altin Premti, a partner in Atelier 4, the group has business relationships with Armand Metani and Orion Cenalla in Futuris Gen, Oreo & Tony and Daton.
Apart from Atelier 4, all the Eftimi brothers’ companies report losses. Yet this has not prevented them from continuing as developers, since the sector operates mainly through off-plan sales, so-called “selling in the air,” subcontracting and offsetting construction work against other obligations.
In its only filed financial statements, for 2022, Texas Development declares losses of around €170 thousand and around €8.3 million in financing from borrowing or advance payments on orders.
The One in Blloku is the sixth project currently being developed by Texas Development and its partners, while they await permits to develop three others.
Projects under development by Texas Development and its partners:
- Rosé Residence – a 9-storey apartment building on Emin Duraku Street
- South Residence – a 9-storey apartment building on Gjik Kuqali Street
- Galeria Roma – a 9-storey apartment building on Kavaja Street
- Lake Diamond Villas & Residences – a residential villa development on Mustafa Xhabrahimi Street (Dry Lake)
- The One – a 10-storey apartment building on Vaso Pasha Street
- Unico Residence – an 11-storey apartment building on Nikolla Tupe Street
Texas Development projects awaiting approval:
- Puzzle Tower – a 19-storey tower on Medar Shtylla Street
- Lake Diamond Tower – a 28-storey tower on Kristo Luarasi Street
- Aquazzura Tower – no details yet, advertised as “the first tower in southern Albania” (Vlora)