The Relationship Between Heritage Buildings and Their Urban Unit - Reinterpreting the Role of the Urban Context in Historical Habitats Facing Rapid Transformations, Case of Tirana

Our settlements consist of and are formed with urban units. The spatial and formal configuration of these urban units embody the different ways of living in the city as well its transformation in history. Heritage buildings, as permanent features within the urban layout, are endowed with an organizational role in the configuration of their urban unit in terms of the formal and spatial relationships that they establish with other buildings within their urban unit. This paper explores these relationships and how they partake in the configuration and sustainability of the urban unit. The paper focuses on the morphological changes that have occurred in the urban unit of the heritage buildings in Tirana, in a time frame of about 60 years. Tirana is the most evident case of rapid transformations caused by both urban sprawl and urban densification. As such the features of many urban units have experienced rapid changes and transformations, often disregarding the context in which these changes are introduced and the existing spatial relationships within them. By using a morphological analysis based on historical maps and data and a comparative reading using interpretative morphological diagrams and models, the paper highlights the main features of the selected heritage buildings. The paper registers the intrinsic formal and spatial connections and relationships that the heritage buildings have established with their Urban Unit(s) in different historical periods and contexts. The paper evaluates the impact of the urban transformation on the heritage buildings: how it sustains, enhances or empowers (the historical value of) heritage buildings, or, on the contrary, how it weakens, undermines or erases them. The paper also proposes the development of heritage impact assessments prior to any interventions in the context of heritage buildings. Introducing this requirement in policy making and planning enable heritage driven sustainable urban development. The methodology used was introduced and tested in the framework of a workshop with 2nd year architecture students and part of the results produced (models) will be also presented in this paper.

OurHistorical habitatsettlementsHeritage buildingsconsistUrban unit of and are formed with urban unitsUrban unit. The spatial and formal configuration of these urban unitsUrban unit embody the different ways of living in the city as well its transformation in history. Heritage buildingsHeritage buildings, as permanent features within the urban layout, are endowed with an organizational role in the configuration of their urban unitUrban unit in terms of the formal and spatial relationships that they establish with other buildings within their urban unitUrban unit. This paper explores these relationships and how they partake in the configuration and sustainabilitySustainability of the urban unitUrban unit. The paper focuses on the morphological changes that have occurred in the urban unitUrban unit of the heritage buildingsHeritage buildings in Tirana, in a time frame of about 60 years. Tirana is the most evident case of rapid transformations caused by both urban sprawl and urban densification. As such the features of many urban unitsUrban unit have experienced rapid changes and transformations, often disregarding the context in which these changes are introduced and the existing spatial relationships within them. By using a morphological analysis based on historical maps and data and a comparative reading using interpretative morphological diagrams and models, the paper highlights the main features of the selected heritage buildingsHeritage buildings. The paper registers the intrinsic formal and spatial connections and relationships that the heritage buildingsHeritage buildings have established with their Urban UnitUrban unit(s) in different historical periods and contexts. The paper evaluates the impact of the urban transformation on the heritage buildingsHeritage buildings: how it sustains, enhances or empowers (the historical value of) heritage buildingsHeritage buildings, or, on the contrary, how it weakens, undermines or erases them. The paper also proposes the development of heritage impact assessmentsHeritage impact assessment prior to any interventions in the context of heritage buildingsHeritage buildings. Introducing this requirement in policy making and planning enable heritage driven sustainable urban development. The methodology used was introduced and tested in the framework of a workshop with 2nd year architecture students and part of the results produced (models) will be also presented in this paper.