kengo kuma to complete expansive visitor center for archaeological park in albania

a look at the butrint national park visitor center

Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) shares its winning competition proposal for a new visitor center at the Butrint National Park along the Albanian coast. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park emerges from the Ionian landscape as a lush green haven; with such a historical scenery at hand, KKAA saw this project as an opportunity to establish new connections between the local communities and the expected archaeological site visitors. Construction is set to complete in 2025.

‘The designated area for the visitor center is located in a nodal and strategic position: at first, it represents a dense crossway between the trails that start from the mountain paths connect to the wetlands on the Vivari Channel and the moorings on the Lake Butrint; second, the panoramic location overlooking all the estuary and the lake. The former ticket area and mooring, as a result of the urban analysis of the site, represent a unique position as well full of potential to engage the local community, to improve the actual archaeological site entrance, and, most important, an opportunity to consolidate and create new circular economies,’ writes the practice. 

kengo kuma and chwb albania’s sculptural design 

The team at Kengo Kuma & Associates joined forces with local group CHwB Albania (see more here) to envision and ultimately build the 4,927 sqm proposal. Endowed with KKAA’s signature composition of uneven geometries and tessellated surfaces, the new visitor hub at Butrint National Park will include two centers: the first one, set at the top, will serve as a ‘mountain gate’, welcoming the public and connecting it with the most natural part of the site; the second, meanwhile, unfolds as ‘the archaeological site gate’ connecting the mooring on the Butrint Lake to the one on the Vivari Channel to create an inclusive plaza where the local community and visitors meet.

‘This one-roof project aims to provide a space to witness the change of light and weather and share the everyday working experience if nothing else takes place. And probably more will happen; one creativity enhances other creativities,’ shares KKAA. 

proposing new, sustainable  paths and greater mobility within

Furthermore, the landscape strategy considers the entire site as an archaeological park. ‘All the existing artifacts built along the last century represent an important layer of the history of the area. Our proposal wants to celebrate the site’s palimpsest,‘ continues KKAA. Therefore, after mapping all the primary elements of the area, the team envisioned a series of winding paths guiding visitors to discover all the ‘ruins’ existing within the UNESCO site. New mountain trails are also proposed, connecting the existing routes while encouraging new discoveries.

The overall connections within Butrint National Park are designed to be as sustainable as possible, integrating primary mobility with electric bus rides, pedestrian trails, bike lanes, and mooring mobility based on electric boats. The wetland path represents an important asset in improving water circulation and the slow mobility along the Vivari Canal. Lastly, additional paths, platforms, and piers will further provide a memorable touristic experience while providing new, vibrant spaces for the community.

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project info:

name: Butrint National Park Visitor Center

location: Vlorë county, Albania

architecture: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official 

lead architects: Kengo Kuma, Anteo Taro Sanada (Partner in Charge)

chief project manager: Andrea Toccolini

team: Orges Guga, Wai Yiu Man, Sarah Wellesley Sjafei, Jui-Ho Tseng
associate architects: Elena Mamani, Pezana Rexha – CHwB Albania 
engineering team: Ervin Paci, Rubin Kodra
archeologist: Esmeralda Agolli
exhibition design: YOKE
renderings: Brick Visual, Fumiya Kaneko – KKAA, CG Team 

expected completion: 2025

total area: 4,927 sqm