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.

• 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