The revitalization of the Tirana New Bazaar and "Avni Rustemi" Square, involves a large project area of about 30 000 sq.m., that aims to reconvert this area into a proper public space for the city of Tirana. "Avni Rustemi" Square & Tirana New Bazaar are located in the oldest part of the country’s capital. The bazaar will become one of the main tourist attractions in Tirana. The New Bazaar/Avni Rustemi Square area of Tirana is a symbol of traditional urban life of the city, and a destination of commercial value. The area houses more than 15 sites of cultural heritage protected by law, currently hidden under rundown facades, obsolete infrastructure, and a generally unappealing space, as a result of the lack conditions for the commercial activities. The overall construction/restoration works, have been divided into 4 Lots and consisted on: Lot 1: Urban requalification of Tirana New Bazaar and construction of the new fruits & vegetables market Lot 2: Reconstruction of Meat & Fish Market Lot 3: Restoration and reconstruction of the surrounding buildings' facades Lot 4: Urban requalification of Avni Rustemi Square One of the most important component of this Lot is the "New Fruits & Vegetables Market", which will be reorganized and conceived as a modern commercial space. The building is designed as an open space where different merchants will rent their own place in an open market area realized in metallic structure and glass façade. Mainly used as a commercial area during the day, but during the evening is converted in a new attraction for Tirana's night life. Other phases of intervention for the "Avni Rustemi" Square and the restoration/ reconstruction of the surrounding buildings. In the restoration project, the architects of Atelier 4, have been careful to keep the original elements of façade, which even though where in degraded conditions, they have preserved their architectural identity. The restoration project made it possible to point out the original architectural values of buildings, which were hidden behind informal buildings. This project marks an inspiring and transformative intervention that Tirana has seen in the last 25 years. In order to love a place, first you must know it The revitalization project of the New Bazaar aspires to educate professional ethics and active social conscience as well as to promote awareness of cultural collective memory. It expresses a need for a society that cultivates culture, civilization, and the desire for a beautiful life. At the time of the project’s start, the delay of an institutional citywide urban strategy was leading to the destruction of the urban tissue, up to the point of losing the city’s identity. The project introduced a modern vision of the city that included all eras; knowing that the city can never be entirely new. The city must be conceptualized as a representation of a historical conversation, which excludes all previous urban craziness, because not every new thing is necessarily positive and not all modern innovations are always progress. At the beginning of the revitalization project, the site was under wild erosion conditions, characterized by the confiscation of public property, the ghettoization of residential areas, the extinction of historical values and by aesthetic degradation. The intervention went through a multi-dimensional dialogue, much more complex than a single investment in an urban context. The two-year project posed many challenges, including: 1. Remodeling a cohabitation and integrated architectonic space; 2. Integrating historical Tirana into the modern city; 3. Creating a mosaic of constructions of different scale and languages; 4. Ensuring the smooth functioning of a place ready to welcome thousands of citizens per day; 5. Making a space for memory and feeling for a city that is as modern to see as comfortable to live in; 7. Ensuring a service area that is simultaneously a walking experience and a meeting place after work. Since its inception, this intervention was developed through dialogue between: The Atelier4 team, the local inhabitants and the merchants; The Atelier4 team and the investor, the Albanian American Development Fund; The Atelier4 team and the Municipality of Tirana; The Atelier4 team and the Ministry of Culture (Institute of the Monuments of Culture). The multidimensional dialogue of the investment was between the present and the past, a dialogue between Tirana’s most traditional streets, a dialogue between businesses and citizens, and much more. The square of the Bazaar was used as a communication device. Covered in terracotta tiles, it evokes the feeling of a journey into the old neighborhoods of Tirana. The treatment of the floor as a wooden parquet welcomes visitors inside the modern Bazaar house. The brilliant idea to use the traditional carpet motifs as a background creates a relationship between buildings of different sizes and times. A steel and glass structure is placed at the center of the Bazaar, a landmark of modern and creative vitality giving life to space and opening new horizons. This structure dares to bring innovation in a sensitive old neighborhood, enhancing the qualities of the area. The New Bazaar has become a positive encounter of different models of the city, including a pedestrian area, a lively shopping, eating and night-life space and a perfect touristic destination. Where one cannot walk, one shall run Where one cannot talk, one shall sing Where one cannot sit, one shall fly Where one no one knows, one shall love. (Olsi Eftimi)