Albanian Carpet / Casanova + Hernandez Architects

Shiroka is a fishing village located on the shores of Shkodra Lake, near the border with Montenegro. Its inhabitants lived for centuries from the lake, men fishing with small rowboats and women tending orchards and weaving carpets by hand. The reaction to the end of a communist regime that had deprived citizens of living from traditional “private” activities was widespread mistrust in the public sphere, which led to a period characterized by uncontrolled occupation and privatization of public space. As result, the public space of the waterfront of Shkodra lake was occupied with illegal constructions such as private houses, restaurants, private parking areas, and kiosks. “Albanian Carpet” returns the waterfront to the citizens demolishing the illegal constructions, opening the views over the lake, and creating an alive public space with a domestic character.