Docomomo Albania has become aware, through online publication, of the project for the reconceptualization of Mother Teresa Square. The presented intervention comes without a clear and open process of confronting ideas, without a public discussion and without a visible involvement of the community and professionals in the field.

“Mother Teresa” Square is one of the most important urban spaces in Tirana. It is not just a square, but part of an urban ensemble with special architectural, urban, historical and compositional values. The relationship between the square, the monumental axis of “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, the institutional buildings and the National Stadium creates a whole with clear spatial and architectural features.

Precisely for this reason, any intervention in this space must be based on the recognition and documentation of existing values, a careful design process, and a broad professional and public discussion.

Docomomo Albania assesses with concern the proposed project, which, following the recent transformations of this segment of the monumental axis, risks further deepening the fragmentation of this urban landscape with special values ​​for the city.

The question is not whether a public space should be adapted to contemporary needs. The question is how to intervene in an ensemble with consolidated urban and architectural values, without compromising its identity, coherence and character. A contemporary intervention can be present and distinct, but it must build a responsible relationship with the existing architecture and space.

To understand why this square requires a special approach, we must return to its history and urban and architectural character.

Mother Teresa Square is one of the most important examples in Tirana of a space where architecture and urbanism are conceived as a whole. It was conceived as part of the transformation of Tirana during the Italian period, in the years 1939–1941, by the Italian architect Gherardo Bosio. Originally known as Piazza del Littorio, the square constituted the southern end of the monumental axis of the boulevard, creating a powerful relationship between urban perspective, public space and institutional architecture.

Bosio did not design a square detached from its context, but an urban ensemble, where the buildings, the spaces between them, the boulevard axis, the stadium, and the square itself formed a unified composition.

The buildings that define this ensemble – including the former Casa del Fascio, today the Polytechnic University; the former Casa della Gioventù Littoria Albanese, today part of the university complex; and the former Opera Dopolavoro Albanese, today the University of the Arts – display characteristics of Italian rationalism: clear volumes, geometric shapes, regular rhythm, controlled monumentality, and a direct relationship between the building and the public space.

But the value of this place does not lie only in the individual buildings or the square. What makes it special is the coherence of the entire ensemble: the urban scale, the perspective of the monumental axis, the ratio between free space and built masses, the relationship with the stadium, the architectural rhythm and the continuity of the public and institutional function.

So, Mother Teresa Square is not just a square. It is part of an urban system where public space, architecture and public infrastructure are conceived in direct relationship with each other. For this reason, any significant change in the surface, its topography or the relationship with the elements of the ensemble affects the way this important fragment of the city is read and experienced.

Docomomo Albania considers a transparent and open design process necessary, in which the architectural, urban and historical values ​​of Mother Teresa Square are documented, analyzed and publicly discussed before final decisions are made.

We believe that the contemporary development of Tirana should not mean the constant replacement of its urban identity with new images, but the ability to intervene in a contemporary way while recognizing, respecting and interpreting existing values.

Mother Teresa Square is not just a square. It is an important part of Tirana's history, memory, and architectural identity. Any intervention in it should start from this value.