Gjergji Islami is an Albanian architect and lecturer. He studied Architecture at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus and Conservation and Valuation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo” in Italy. Islami completed his doctoral studies at the Polytechnic University of Tirana, where, since 2004, he has been contributing as a Lecturer and Researcher and since 2022 as an Associate Professor. 

Islami is the co-author of several books and exhibitions on socialist architecture in Albania and works as an architect and planning consultant. Over the past 20 years, he has collaborated with renowned studios and won several awards in international competitions.

Henrike von Baeyer studied Political Science at the Freie Universität Berlin. Since 2014 she has been working at D:4 Architecture and Monument Preservation, where in 2020 she became part of the management and heads the consulting department.

In this role, he has led various projects and gained practical experience in the field of monument conservation. Key projects include the analysis of 400 church properties in Berlin (2014–2018); a feasibility study for the accommodation of a large German federal agency in a protected complex (2020); a feasibility study for the accommodation of the New Federal Archives of Germany and the Archives of the former GDR State Security in another protected complex in Berlin (2021); and the development of methods for the cost assessment and modernization of 300 cultural buildings managed by districts in Berlin — 60% of which are monuments — in cooperation with the Senate for Culture (2023).

Since 2016, he has also worked with treppe b, the gallery and publisher of D:4, where he has gained experience in publishing, fundraising, and organizing exhibitions.

In 2020, he moved to Tirana, where he opened a branch of D:4 Architecture and a coworking space, regularly organizing events and exhibitions. He currently lives and works in Tirana.

Ana Pekmezi is an architect and designer engaged in the field of cultural heritage, with a focus on collective memory and social identities. She graduated in Architecture in 2013 with the thesis “Museum of Memory – Albania in the Socialist Period” and has been combining architectural practice with visual communication for more than ten years.

Her professional experience includes coordinating and implementing visual communication projects in print and digital media, as well as working in experimental photography and photojournalism. She has conducted technical documentation of historic buildings, condition assessments, and geospatial mapping using GIS systems.

For several years, Ana has also contributed as an external lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Polytechnic University of Tirana.

Dr. Artan Kacani is an urban planner, lecturer and researcher focused on territorial development in Albania and the Mediterranean region. With over 10 years of academic experience, he explores the relationship between territorial policies, history and constitutional law.

He is the author of the study “Dealing with the Future of Emergent Settlements…” (2024), which addresses the legal and urban challenges of informal settlements in Tirana, and the paper “Defining Hindering Factors of Informal Settlements…” (2018), which analyzes the factors that hinder the recognition of property in Shkodra. These publications represent his research approach to urban development, informality and territorial management.

Deni Klosi is an Albanian architect and urban planner, graduated from the Polytechnic University of Tirana in 2004 and with a Second Level Master in “Housing and Land Development” from Polis University and IHS Erasmus University (2013).

With almost 20 years of experience, he has worked in the restoration of buildings, the design of residential complexes and educational institutions, as well as in urban development. He directed “Atelier Albania” and served as deputy director at the National Agency for Territorial Planning, contributing to urban policies, the protection of historical areas and the development of informal areas.

Since 2020, he has been leading technical and construction projects at the Albanian Development Fund. He currently focuses on the innovative restoration of historical assets through circular economy principles.

Denada Veizaj graduated in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Tirana in 2007 and completed her PhD in 2015 on the use of advanced analytical tools for the study of urban fabrics. Her research focuses on the role of geometric systems in reading and analyzing urban patterns, with the aim of providing more sustainable approaches to development.
In 2013 and 2016, she conducted postgraduate and postdoctoral studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, in the fields of advanced urbanism, urban dynamics, and governance.
She has published works on the documentation of communist-era architecture and on the importance of theoretical and practical tools for interpreting the built environment.
Veizaj has been part of the academic staff of the Polytechnic University of Tirana since 2008 and is currently Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Architecture. She has also served as Secretary General (2012–2016) and member of the Presidency (2012–2021) of the Association of Architects of Albania.

Doriana Bozgo Bleta was born in 1975 in Tirana. She graduated in 2000 from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Polytechnic University of Tirana, with a diploma project for the Museum of Contemporary Art, receiving the title of architect.

From 2001 to 2004 she worked as the CMA Coordinator for the Albanian Educational Infrastructure Reconstruction Program (AEDP). Since 2004, she has been part of the academic staff of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at UPT, where she lectures in Studio 1 & 2 and in Interior Design. She is engaged in scientific research, participating in conferences and publications that address contemporary architecture and urban development in Albania, with a focus on today's architectural identity.

In 2000, together with Ermal Bleta and Roland Lika, he founded STUDIO B&L in Tirana, an architectural practice whose work has been praised and published by local and international critics.

Entela Daci is an architect with extensive experience in teaching, architecture, surveying, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. She is particularly interested in the values ​​and role of cultural heritage in contemporary society, as well as the use of new technologies and methodologies in the protection, maintenance and restoration of monuments and archaeological sites.
In 1991, he graduated in Architecture (M.Sc.) from the Polytechnic University of Tirana. He then completed a second-level Master in “Architectural Survey and Documentation, Restoration of Architecture”, within the HECD project, with a joint degree from the Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia and UPT. In 2016, he defended his doctorate on the topic of urban development and monuments of Durrës in the first centuries AD.
Currently, she is a senior lecturer in the subjects “Theory of Architecture and Urbanism”, “Restoration of Cultural Monuments” and “Restoration, Conservation and Evaluation” at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at UPT. She also lectures as a guest lecturer in “Architectural Design II” at the University of Tirana and collaborates as an author on architectural and restoration projects in Tirana and Noci (Bari), Italy.

Joli completed her Master of Science in Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Tirana and her Professional Master in Architectural Design at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, ​​Spain. In 2017, she successfully participated in the DIPLOMAzia2 program of CNR Italy, dedicated to young professionals in the field of cultural heritage.

Since 2014, she has been working at the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, where she has held several positions and gained experience in the restoration of traditional and ancient-medieval architecture, training young professionals and collaborating with international organizations. She is currently the Director of the Directorate of Cultural Monuments.

She is also an external lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Tirana and author/co-author of research articles on cultural heritage. Most recently, Joli is licensed as a Certified Interpretive Planner and officially represents Albania as the Country Coordinator for Interpret Europe.

Lejla Hadžić is a conservation architect with over two decades of experience in the field of cultural heritage preservation.
Currently, she serves as a cultural heritage advisor at UNOPS, which is implementing the EU4Culture program — the European Union’s largest investment in the post-earthquake rehabilitation of 23 cultural heritage sites. Their multidimensional approach integrates conservation, curation, multimedia interpretation, cultural heritage management, and disaster risk reduction policies.
Previously, Lejla led the organization “Cultural Heritage without Borders Albania” and worked on initiatives focused on building conservation, interpretation, and educational programs for heritage assets in Albania and the Western Balkans.
Notably, CHwB has led important projects such as the conservation project for the Gjirokastra Castle and the Cultural Heritage Management plan for Butrint.