In recent years, Oppenheim Architecture’s European office has worked diligently on a plethora of projects in Albania in an effort to honor and highlight the country’s abundant culture. Besa Museum takes its name from the Albanian concept of “Besa”, a sacred principle that represents the given the word, or one’s honor to host and protect any guest and welcome them as one of your own, and demonstrates the core of the Albanian way.
The Oppenheim team worked closely with local experts including Albanologists, restoration experts, historians specializing in Ottoman and Albanian architecture and culture, and a museologist to bring the concept of Besa to life in the concrete form of architecture, while staying true to the museum’s site of the Toptani Residence in Albania’s capital city, Tirana. The development will feature a newly constructed wing under the exterior courtyard which will mirror the original organization of the ottoman structure. Besa will additionally showcase exhibition spaces, archives, an auditorium and educational spaces.
Team:
Architect: Oppenheim Architecture,
Museum Designer: Ralph Appelbaum Associates
Branding Specialist: The Place Bureau
Local Architect: Common Sense Studio
Photography: MIR