ALBANIA THE VEIL PROJECT
The Veil, the new residential project by Bofill Taller de Arquitectura in the village of Dhërmi, Albania, both complements and contrasts with the dense forest into which it is embedded—a forest that blankets the mountainous landscape before plunging steeply into the sea. It is difficult to categorize this architectural intervention: does it belong to the class of buildings that seek to blend into their surroundings, or to those that stand out from the natural landscape, boldly asserting their presence?
On one hand, the angular geometries of the dense grid of terraces and sharp edges—a signature of the studio—eschew the softness of time-sculpted rocks and tree canopies; on the other, the color of the plaster and ceramic cladding draws directly from the context, creating a monochromatic patch that the terrain itself seems to reabsorb.
The building volumes appear to climb over one another much like the native vegetation, which strives to find space and reach the light. Nature serves not merely as inspiration but as an active participant in the design process: the compositional layout was determined by the existing trees, which were preserved and integrated into the complex. The result is a series of fragmented forms, courtyards, and gardens inhabited by these centuries-old specimens.
Source: Domusweb.it
Photo credits: Courtesy of Bofill Taller de Arquitectura
