THE SEED, TIRANA, ALBANIA, PROJECT: DAVIDE MACULLO
After over 20 years working for Matio Botta’s firm as a project architect, Davide Macullo, born in 1965, opened his own firm in Lugano in 2020, where he lives and works. At the heart of his design philosophy is the notion of harmonious relations with the surrounding context that drives and shapes the works he builds worldwide.
In the hills above Tirana that form a kind of natural amphitheatre embracing the city, he has designed a residential complex as a natural extension of the landscape, following its contours in the form of terraced layers that evoke the region’s farmlands. Facades with undulating forms and cladding made of natural materials in warm, earthy tones create a permeable skin that integrates the greenery emerging from the hills.
The buildings extend into the landscape as their sloping, rounded forms dissolve into the ground, their roofs turning into lush tree-lined terraces. The balconies are designed to provide shade against the summer sun, ensuring privacy while offering extensive views across the surroundings. Over 70 percent of the site is dedicated to greenery and the absence of cars transforms the space into a living environment that is a park as well as a residential facility.
Davide Macullo's design for this residential
complex is more than just a built space: it is a place shaped by and for
nature. Its forms embrace the earth’s forces, evoking a deep sense of connection
in the people living here. It is a place to be lived, imagined and loved: by
its visitors, its future inhabitants and anybody who can grasp the beauty of this landscape.
Architect: Davide Macullo Architects; Architect of record: Ere Architecture, Tirana; Project team: Lorenza Tallarini, Aileen Forbes-Munnelly, Andrea Carlotta Conti, Antonello Scala, Valentina Perazzolo, Alberto Gullà; Renders: Davide Macullo Architects
