Europetrol

Coming from the airport, the road leading to Tirana is dominated by haphazard constructions. The petrol station on this road reasserts itself in this ever-changing context: a composition of parts, working at different scales, speeds and distances.

A large, asymmetrical T is a premature response to surrounding building heights that still have to materialize. Visible from afar, it forms an obvious welcoming gesture for visitors to Tirana and the petrol station. A large brick dome resting on three points covers the fill-up area, creating a shaded space with quasi-religious aspirations. One of these points is the corner of the shop and back office: a straightforward glass and concrete box. The other two points are part of the large T: one sits on the leg of the T, the other hovers in the air, suspended by a cable on the largest branch. This deliberate blurring of the constructive elements – a genuine tour de force – creates a composition that is irrational enough to face what is to come.

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Location

Tirana, Albania

Client

Europetrol shpk

Design

2005

Completion

2006

51N4E involvement

Final design

51N4E project team

Johan Anrys, Freek Persyn, Peter Swinnen, Joost Körver, Bob De Wispelaere

Structural engineer

BAS/Dirk Jaspaert

Construction management

Atelier 4

Programme

Service station

Site surface

1.130 m²

Built surface

380 m²

Photography

Stefano Graziani

Image credits

51N4E

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