Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed its design of the National Theater of Albania in the capital of Tirana. Designed with a bow-tie form, the building will replace the existing theater venue and provide three new auditoriums, a rooftop amphitheater, and a public plaza.
The 100,000-square-foot space’s unique shape is informed by the configuration of each space. The main auditorium anchors the building at the core, linking two separate volumes on either side. A grand staircase on both sides of the building will lead visitors to a main foyer that is connected to the main auditorium as well as two smaller theaters. Glazed exteriors will frame interior programming to those on the outside, while the rooftop amphitheater’s sloping roof will accommodate spectators and feature a café as well.
“The two main façades of the National Theatre of Albania are opened up to expose the spaces inside the building to the public outside,” Ingels says. “One side reveals a foyer, lounge, bar, and restaurant as well as two experimental stages to passersby, like rooms in a doll house. The other side reveals the entire section of the backstage, side stages, under stage, and fly tower, exposing the entire theater machine to curious observers. Where a theater typically wouldn’t be open to the public until the early evening, the new Albanian National Stage will become a spectacle of production as well as performance throughout the day.”
