The first-ever Wes Anderson retrospective heads to London’s Design Museum in 2025, Robert De Niro’s billion-dollar Wildflower Studios arrives, and Albania’s capital undergoes a major urban transformation. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
The capital of Albania rewrites its future
The MVRDV-designed Pyramid of Tirana; photo by Ossip van Duivenbode
Tirana, the capital of Albania, is undergoing a major urban transformation that is attracting renowned architects to create new landmarks, writes Archtizer. Take Stefano Boeri’s Tirana 2030 Master Plan, which is focused on sustainability, increasing green spaces, and promoting vertical growth. Notable structures include Mount Tirana, a towering 672-foot building inspired by Albania’s mountainous landscape from Aarhus, Denmark-based firm CEBRA, and the repurposed Pyramid of Tirana, conceived by Rotterdam-based MVRDV as a cultural hub. Other innovative projects include structures from Czech firm Chybik + Kristof-designed, like the Multifunctional Tower Tirana and ODA Tirana, a mixed-use space wrapped in a red concrete exterior with green terraced and shaded loggias. Portugal firm OODA is behind the Hora Vertikale, reflecting Tirana’s ambition to redefine its skyline and become a modern, vibrant city.
A Wes Anderson retrospective will open in London next year
Wes Anderson; copyright Searchlight Pictures/photo by Charlie Gray, courtesy of the Design Museum
The Design Museum in London will host a major exhibition dedicated to Wes Anderson in 2025, marking the director’s first official retrospective, reports Time Out. Simply titled Wes Anderson, the exhibit will open on November 21st, 2025 and feature original props, costumes, and insights from his filmography, covering his work in the 1990s to his recent Oscar-winning films. Curated in collaboration with Anderson, his production company American Empirical Pictures, and French nonprofit film organization La Cinémathèque Française, the exhibition will run until March 29th, 2026.
Robert De Niro gambles on Astoria for studio complex
Wildflower Studios, designed by BIG; rendering courtesy of BIG
Wildflower Studios, a $1 billion venture cofounded by Robert De Niro, is set to become New York’s largest film production facility. Film production in New York is an $82 billion industry, generating 185,000 jobs, but the city has suffered from having a scattered studio infrastructure, writes The Hollywood Reporter. “New York is the greatest backlot,” De Niro told the magazine. Located in Astoria, Queens, the innovative studio, which just opened, features 11 stacked, sound-independent stages designed by architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). At 765,000 square feet, Wildflower is the largest of a new wave of studios cropping up around the five boroughs, including Lionsgate’s Great Point Studios in Yonkers.
Oyo acquires Motel 6 for $525 million
Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
Budget brand Motel 6 is being sold to Indian-based travel company Oyo for $525 million in an all-cash deal, reports NPR. The acquisition includes Motel 6’s extended-stay brand, Studio 6, and is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. Oyo, which expanded into the U.S. five years ago, sees the purchase as a strategic move to strengthen its presence in America. Motel 6 will continue to operate under its brand, as Oyo considers how to integrate its name. “This acquisition is a significant milestone for a startup company like us to strengthen our international presence,” Oyo International’s chief executive, Gautam Swaroop, said in a statement.
Meet the BDNY Women Leaders
A guestroom at the Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel, designed by DLR Group; photo courtesy of Sonesta
A BDNY signature event presented in partnership with NEWH, the BDNY Power Players: Women Leaders in Hospitality breakfast brings together thought leaders in design, brand, ownership, and procurement for a lively discussion of challenges, opportunities, and issues across the industry. This year’s speakers include a who’s who of industry professionals including Jill Cole, Cole Martinez Curtis & Associates; Sara Duffy, Stonehill Taylor; Alessia Genova, Tihany Design; Azadeh Hawkins, Montage International; Bridget Rooks, Sonesta; and Tracy Smith-Woodby, Marriott. Tickets are still available. Buy them here and register for BDNY here.
