Tiranë, Albania
The Pyramid of Tirana is one of the capital’s most recognisable and debated buildings. It opened in 1988 as a museum dedicated to communist leader Enver Hoxha, co-designed by his daughter Pranvera Hoxha and her husband Klement Kolaneci. After the fall of communism it served as a conference centre, a NATO base during the 1999 Kosovo War and a broadcasting studio, while much of it fell into decay.
Following years of debate over demolition, it was transformed by the Dutch architects MVRDV and reopened in October 2023 as a youth centre for technology and education, run by TUMO Tirana. Its concrete shell was kept and opened up with glass, greenery and colourful pavilions.
Visitors can now walk up the new steps built into its sloping sides for views over central Tirana, making the former monument a lively public space.
More to see in Tiranë
