Durrës Vacation Housing Competition

The Durrës vacational housing Competition is a concept proposal for a large-scale multifamily vacation housing development in Durrës, Albania. AKURAT was invited to participate in a private competition to transform the site of a former sports center, located approximately 100 meters from the coastline, into a new residential complex.

The program comprised 1,096 apartments, together with parking facilities and shared amenities, within an estimated built area of 180,000 sqm. The primary challenge was to provide sea views to as many residences as possible, despite the site not being located directly on the waterfront.

The concept was developed around a curved building geometry that opens the façades and broadens the apartments’ sightlines toward the coast. Through this strategy, 60% of the residences achieved sea views, representing one of the proposal’s main measurable design outcomes.

The overall layout was also conceived to provide every apartment with natural light and ventilation. The ends and central section of the complex step back to create terraces for a significant number of residences. In addition, each apartment features a private façade terrace that extends the living space outdoors while helping reduce direct solar exposure.

Shared amenities are distributed across different levels of the development. Fitness areas, gardens, and recreational spaces are located at ground level, while swimming pools and communal areas occupy the rooftops. Parking is incorporated within the project’s overall built area as an integral component of the development.

The building’s stepped profile evokes the silhouette of a mountain, establishing an abstract reference to the range that separates Tirana from Durrës. This configuration helps articulate the scale of the complex, create a recognizable architectural identity, and establish a conceptual relationship with the surrounding regional landscape.

AKURAT’s scope was limited to the concept design developed for the competition. The proposal brought together density, orientation, views, natural light, ventilation, solar protection, and collective amenities within a unified architectural strategy. No competition result was announced, and the project did not proceed to subsequent design stages.