Oppenheim Architecture to design the Besa Museum, Albania's new cultural institution

Oppenheim Architecture won the international competition to design the new Besa Museum, located in the Sarajet e Toptanëve, the complex of palaces of the noble Toptani family, built between 1833 and 1840 in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

The new cultural institution will host the rich heritage of the country and takes its name from the Albanian concept of “besa”, which represents the absolute value of the given word, as well as the honor of hosting and protecting any guest and welcoming them as part of the family. Oppenheim Architecture’s proposal tries to capture this emotion, using design to embody examples tried by the whole of Albania, through tradition, protection, hospitality, and honor, founding concepts of this culture.

The museum will include exhibition spaces, an auditorium, educational spaces, and archives, as well as a new wing that incorporates the organization of the original building. The studio also added modern red monoliths to the courtyard to draw visitors’ attention and guide them. To develop the project, Oppenheim Architecture met with local professionals, Albanologists, restoration experts, and historians, and collaborated with the New York-based museum exhibition design firm Ralph Applebaum Associates.