Italian architecture studio NOA has unveiled the design for a new residential complex with wavy facades in Berdenesh, Saranda, Albania. Called Berdenesh Hills, the 26, 000-square-metre complex includes approximately 250 apartments, a hotel, and a community pavilion.

"A modern citadel"

The idea takes shape as a modern citadel where topography, light, and sea dictate the architecture, shaped by the Mediterranean region of southern Albania. 

NOA creates a collection of earthy-toned terraced volumes that can translate the character of the region into a peaceful living space. 

The Italian studio NOA takes on a new challenge in southern Albania by focusing on Saranda after completing work on the "Puzzle" tower in central Tirana. Here, the light, the sea, and the far-off outline of Corfu—all sensory aspects of the Mediterranean—become crucial in determining the new residential project's formal and spatial identity.

The journey to the project site served as a major motivation. The journey shows how Tirana's dense urban fabric gives way to a low-density rural area with hills covered in Mediterranean scrub.

“We were deeply impressed by the coastline of this region: it unfolds as an inward-turning spline, marked by continuous inlets, large bays, and small coves, all framed by the silhouette of Corfu on the horizon," said Lukas Rungger, NOA founder and project architect.

Beyond Saranda, a town that has seen a surge in construction since the 1990s, the environment is characterized by the interaction of land and sea, as seen by little sandy inlets and craggy cliffs. 

A tectonic landscape of projections and recesses is formed by exposed stone slabs behind the project site. The proposal is fundamentally shaped by this clear, strong, and delineated geographical identity. 

The project site is situated in a historically significant area where remnants of old castles, fortresses, and bastions can be found all over the place. 

NOA was able to create a language for a new settlement model—one that could understand the area's beauty while maintaining continuity with its historical context—by analyzing both natural and anthropogenic features.

"Although the predominant architectural typology in the coastal town of Saranda today is the tower, for this project we sought to reconnect with the traces of the past. We envisioned the creation of a new small neighborhood in form of a citadel," explained Andrea Dal Negro, NOA architect.

"Like its historical counterparts, this contemporary citadel develops around a focal point: the central piazza. However, unlike ancient Greek, Roman, or medieval fortresses—the most famous Albanian example being Argirocastro—its perimeter walls, formed by a variety of buildings, open outward in a continuous search for connection with the surrounding environment," Negro added.

Image © NOA

Roof planes of different heights that rise and fall in accordance to the topography of the site provide even more integration with the landscape. With an almost amphitheatrical layout centered on the main plaza, this method creates an architectural landscape that merges in perfectly with its natural surroundings. 

The central square, which spans five terraced floors and includes a community pavilion, is the focal point of the development. The entire site is a Mediterranean park with lush, blooming vegetation, which strengthens the project's connection to the environment.

Image © NOA

"The facades are characterized by bands of warm, earthy tones in raw plaster, echoing the lines of the surrounding landscape. These organic forms create a dynamic play of projections and recesses that extend from the base to the top of the buildings, breaking the rigid horizontality of the floors and making the reading of slabs—typical of multi-storey apartment buildings in Saranda—impossible," said Lukas Rungger.

"The terraces provide generous outdoor spaces for residents and reinforce the buildings’ integration with the environment, softening visual impact while maximizing natural light," added Rungger.

Every unit has a private open space because of the coastal setting, which emphasizes outdoor life. With a maximum height of six stories, each building volume gradually tapers at its shorter sides to create large terraces that edge residences may access. 

Views were carefully framed, with the sea acting as a continuous picturesque backdrop. Opaque parapets are lowered to match the living areas and replaced with thin metal rods that provide unhindered views in order to strengthen this connection. 

Design concept

Landscape-inspired architectural design

Site plan

Level -2 plan

Level -1 plan

Ground floor plan

Level +1 plan

Level +2 plan

Level +3 plan

Level +4 plan

Level +5 plan

Level +6 plan

Sections

Both inside the residences and in the major public area, this design guarantees that the sea will continue to be the project's distinguishing feature.

The project has received preliminary design approval and is currently in a further phase of development. Construction on the project is scheduled to start in 2026.

NOA released plans to transform an agricultural land into a new neighborhood in the Dolomites, Italy. In addition, NOA and Atelier4 designed a new high-rise that incorporates the elements of an archetypal village house with a gabled roof on its façade. 

Project facts

Project name: Berdenesh Hills

Architects: NOA

Local architect: Atelier 4

Location: Berdenesh, Saranda, Albania

Status: Preliminary design approval

Size: 26,000 m2

All renderings © Aleksey Mokhov unless otherwise stated.

All drawings © NOA. 

> via NOA 

Berdenesh Hills concept NOA