Author: Dallandyshe Xhaferri
The project aimed to turn the Pyramid into an innovation center, focusing mainly on technology and education, cost 1.6 billion lek. Today, the Pyramid, once an icon of communism, is home to private businesses, including restaurants. The investment was made by the Municipality of Tirana and the AADF (Albanian-American Development Foundation).
The first tender opened on August 3, 2020, worth 1.4 billion lek, was won by “Fusha” shpk and “EDIL-AL-IT” shpk. Although the works were expected to be completed within 24 months, in October 2022, the same companies won the second tender worth over 228 million lek without competition.
The investment was made on Friday to turn the Pyramid into an innovation center, where students after school can get knowledge in the field of programming, animation, design, etc.
The agreement signed between AADF and the Municipality of Tirana stipulates that both parties will cooperate for the creation and establishment of the Pyramid Center, with the aim of implementing the TUMO project, an innovation center for students aged 12-18 that was inaugurated a month ago, on October 16. The board of this non-profit organization consists of 4 members selected by AADF and 3 selected by the Municipality of Tirana, which also selects the chairman of the board. The center is responsible for the management of the pyramid building, which consists of 4 floors and a “-1” floor with a total area of 120,000 m 2.
Ina Zekaj, AADF project manager, tells "Sinjalizo" that this foundation has invested 8.5 million dollars in the framework of the Pyramid's revival, " which includes subcontracting the architectural studio and the building design service, or bringing the TUMO model to Albania, based on the international TUMO Center model ," Zekaj explains, adding that of the four floors of the pyramid, only the first two floors are available to the innovation center, TUMO.
On the official website of the Pyramid, in the "Rent" section, it is indicated that there is no longer any free space in the building for those interested.
"The building will also host businesses from the service and hospitality sectors such as food and beverage. Whether you are an established business, a start-up or an independent professional, you will find the perfect environment to develop and succeed," the website states, while the public spaces around the Pyramid will be set up to accommodate the activities that these entities will carry out.
Shqipe Berisha, director of the Pyramid Center, says that the demands of businesses to operate in the Pyramid building have been numerous, starting from technological education companies, telecommunications, etc. According to her, the businesses that will be located in the rented premises are selected based on the proposals for the development of the center, but she does not specify which businesses have won this right and what criteria they have fulfilled, leaving it unclear whether the winners are businesses with innovation focus or not.
"There will also be several restaurants for the influx of local and foreign visitors. All income collected from the Pyramid's activity will go to the operation and expansion of TUMO Tirana," says Berisha, who avoids answering about the rental price in the Pyramid building , "the activity and events in the Pyramid will enable the interaction of all ecosystem factors in the region."
So far, 13% of the Pyramid's surface area will be made available to businesses such as restaurants and cafes, while 7% of the space will be made available to "electronic retail" businesses, that is, businesses that deal with the trade of technological equipment. Data received from the Pyramid Center specify that 14% of the total space of the building will be used for cultural and artistic activities. In other words, 40,800 m 2 of the Pyramid will be used for activities not related to innovation. 66% of the Pyramid's space will be completely available for innovation, of which TUMO occupies 48% of the space. This means that only 16% of the Pyramid's space has been rented by businesses with a focus on technology development.
Currently, a second level bank, an insurance company and the European College have started to set up their office in the buildings around the Pyramid.
According to the agreement, in the first two years the Center will provide financial support from the two co-founders, where in the first year AADF and the Municipality will contribute the same capital, while in the second year the municipality will cover 70% of the budget . At the same time, the local government is responsible for solving legal and financial issues that will concern any entity that has rights over any surface of the Pyramid.
The Pyramid of Tirana, pending since 2016
In 2016, the Tirana Pyramid passed from the Ministry of Culture to the ownership of the Municipality of Tirana. At the time , Mayor Veliaj stated that the Pyramid would be made available to citizens to make public activities accessible.
"The municipality has a very ambitious project to turn the Pyramid into a public space, to return it to the citizens of Tirana, to make it accessible for public activities, so I believe that like the last time we meet at the Pyramid, I believe we will remember this metaphor of how spaces that are very attractive in the city center and that are symbolic of our city, can also be turned into functional spaces for the benefit of citizens," said Veliaj.
Two years later, in 2018, the agreement was signed between the Municipality of Tirana and the AADF to turn the Pyramid into a multifunctional center.
Investments in the Pyramid have also been accompanied by a transformation of the appearance of the building and its surrounding area.
" The opening of the building to light, the numerous stairs that have replaced the former steep sides, the buildings "thrown" randomly like cubes by a child, the planting of many plants around us have created a completely new and modern building," says Edmond Hali, an architect for more than 30 years, to "Sinjalizo".
"The goal of the architect was precisely to destroy the harmony and elegance that the shape of the pyramid has in itself, replacing it with a 'chaos' of forms", says Hali, adding that the harmony of the pyramid has been destroyed to be replaced by a other.
"The pyramid was built with the best materials of the time. The quality of the work was very high and this gave it outstanding architectural value. The implementation of these additions and changes was done with cheap and poor quality materials," says Hali, emphasizing that the stairs pose a real danger since no measures were taken to protect their users.
"It is a good architectural idea but poorly executed", - concludes the architect.
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