The city-centre bazaar with 309 shops had become dilapidated and congested with automobile traffic; this project renovates existing shops, provides new facilities for the fruit and vegetable market, improves walkways, and creates a vibrant new urban plaza now used during day- and night-time hours. The renovated shops feature improved interiors and new roofs in terra-cotta tiles that recall traditional Albanian architecture, while the new market is a contemporary steel-and-glass structure. The streets were stone-paved and re-zoned for pedestrian and service use only, and the new public square is widely used for community events and social activities. The paving patterns were inspired by traditional carpets; lighting and street furniture complement the project.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture