Vlora Waterfront \ Project Masterplan \ The Pulse

VLORE/ALBANIA

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NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTION TO SEA + PHASING

Project phasing is designed to accommodate continuous use of the beach for tourism and to minimize ecological impact on site during construction. Each zone can be independently developed at various times. Phase 1 - Gateway: The most important area creates a Gateway where users are introduced with the sea at the moment they leave the city behind. Recreational parks, plazas, market places, and soil erosion remediation is constructed here first. This phase supports local residents with much needed public, commercial and beach amenities. The Gateway is announced to the city by restoring the former park at the University Plaza. From the large park, the sequence of green pedestrian access unfolds towards the sea. Phase 2 - Commercial Corridor: Continues development south from Gateway with more beach restoration, ecological remediation, public and commercial amenities. The boardwalk and bike lanes connect the two phases to provide pedestrian recreational support.
GLOBAL WATER EROSION MAP

Phase 3 - Tunnel: Boardwalk and bike lane continue connecting all areas to the Tunnel. On the eastern side of the street hill erosion is mitigated via planting of trees while the western side of the street continues to restore sidewalk and natural flora. Phase 4 - Pine Beach: Tucked away from the major tourism traffic, the Pine Forest zone can be constructed last as funding becomes available. The Pine Forest is planted, soil erosion remediation, beach and urban plazas are constructed to create a sense of place in the neighborhood. The new plazas and pavilions support local market economies and welcome beach goers with support amenities. The boardwalk and bike lanes from here connect through the city to the Gateway beach for a fully pedestrian beachfront experience.

Global Erosion Agenda

The erosion of beachfront and arable land is a problem facing a majority of the worlds most populated areas. Strategies must be developed to both take action, both in order to mitigate and slow the transformation of our geological heritage, and to prepare the worlds cities to live in a world thus transformed. Vlora, a site of unique geological and hydrological characteristics, can lead the charge in this approach, developing unique and innovative solutions and partnerships pairing research objectives with touristic and economic development strategies.

VLORE/ALBANIA

MEDITERRANEAN WATERSHEDS

Regional Model
Vlora is at the center of the Mediterranean coast, a uniquely interwoven ecological and economical system bridging diverse but complimentary cultures. Vloras challenges are shared throughout the region, and solutions it provides for a transformative waterfront can be shared throughout.

Vlore City Center

Accumulation Coast

Erosive Coast

Erosion and Accumulation in Vlora Bay

Reshaping Vlora
The currents and hydrological patterns in Vlora Bay are eroding the coastline of the southern Peninsula and depositing new beachfront throughout the competition site. The effects are visible from year to year, with structures along the southern coast increasingly submerged, and the northern coast encroaching further out to sea. Interventions in this transformational zone must both respond and help to shape these powerful forces that are literally reshaping Vlora.

PINE FOREST

EXISTING PORT

PHASE 4

PHASE 1

GATEWAY

PHASE 2

COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR

PHASE 3

TUNNEL

PULSE BOARDWALK

The Pulse of Vlora

The Vlora Waterfront project is conceived as a series of pulses along the coast of Vlora, energizing local economies and activity along the waterfront by extending both out into the sea, and inward into the neighborhoods. Outward extensions are newly programmed beach areas and a series of landmark piers. Inward extensions are infrastructural improvements and neighborhood connections mitigating stormwater infrastructure and connecting beach programs to the surrounding natural beauty.

Vlora Waterfront \ Project Masterplan \ The Pulse

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SECTION 1: PINE BEACH DETAIL PLAN & SECTION

Reimagining the Pine Beach

The Pine Beach extends beautiful existing pine forest further east within the competition site. Once a vibrant pine forest, the area is quickly suffering from pollution and tree loss. By planting new pine areas the project restores this much needed ecological amenity and creates a buffer zone between the loud and polluting highway and the beach proper. Boardwalk plazas extend into the beach providing opportunity for local market, art events, and public space while creating a buffer against soil erosion. Sand dunes are nested next to the boardwalk plazas to preserve from erosion while providing natural habitats for local flora and fauna. The floating pier and floating Pavilions allow for deeper enjoyment of the beach without impacting the environment.
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SECTION 2: GATEWAY DETAIL PLAN & SECTION

Reclaiming a Central Waterfront

Small boardwalk plazas, sand dunes, water inlets and bioswales transform this zone into clean vibrant beach and recreational parks engaging local residents in their once polluted neighborhood beachfront. A continuous bicycle and boardwalk path connect all zones safely away from vehicular traffic. Planted medians and signage invite users to cross the street safely. Neighborhood plazas are created where boardwalk and pavilions reach into the urban context creating much needed market and social gathering spaces. Boardwalk plazas provide space for sports activities, amphitheaters for music festivals as well as shading and seating areas during the day.

SECTION 3: SOUTHERN COAST DETAIL PLAN & SECTION

Integrating Tourism and Public Space

The continuation of pedestrian boardwalks and bicycle lanes to connect the sea, beach and urban fabric create a welcoming and safe environment in support of tourism. Enclosed pavilions provide opportunities for small service and retail space, small pavilions provide beach changing rooms and showers, while larger open pavilions welcome evening events and art show for the enjoyment of the waterfront throughout all times of the day. Bicycle rental kiosks housed within the pavilions support an active tourism engagement allowing easy access to all waterfront along the coast. Fresh water from the eastern mountains and storm water runoff is collected in bioswales planted with saltwater grasses around the edge of each plaza pulse, where it is filtered and returned to city for irrigation purposes. Small boardwalk plazas protect the beach against soil erosion forming small dunes and increasing existing beach dimensions. The goal of beach protection is to fully capture and maintain Vloras natural heritage by cleaning, remediating and growing it at various locations.

SECTION 4: TUNNEL AREA DETAIL PLAN & SECTION

Restoring Hydrological Heritage

To protect from erosion, due to recent construction, valleys and creeks traveling along the hills are planted with indigenous species of orange and lemon trees. The once-existing pier is restored in the water on floating structures. The pier connection with the tunnels edge creates a small Fresh Water Plaza restoring what once was a clean drinkable fresh water fountain. The plaza is landmarked with a new sculptural pavilion where beach goers can gather and refresh with cold spring water during hot summer days. The boardwalk and bicycle lanes continue to here from northern areas.
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Vlora Waterfront \ Mediterranean Model \ The Pulse

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Pine Forest

Boardwalk Vlora Pulse Pier Plaza

Soft Stormwater Stormwater Infrastructure Mitigation Plaza

Boardwalk Plaza

Vlora Pulse Pier

Zone 1 / Pine Forest

Zone 2 / Tourism and Commercial Corridor

Pedestrian Corridor

Pedestrian Corridor

Trail to Mountain Pass High Slope Stormwater Mitigation

Vlora Pulse Pier

Floating Pavilions

Zone 3 / Gateway Beach

Zone 4 \ Tunnel

Vlora Waterfront \ Project Masterplan \ The Pulse

Terraforming Pavilions
Program Pavilion Boardwalk Pavilion

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Active public programs like bus stops, transit centers, info points, and bike sharing stations populate the program pavilion, located on the city side of the boulevard, and paired with easy access to the beach. These roofed structures help to foster a sense of place along the boulevard, and signal arrival to visitors first arriving to each zone.

The boardwalk pavilion provides space for gathering under the shade on the edge of the boardwalk. A series of long steps provide area for an informal amphitheater, an ideal setting for seasonal concerts and performances, or for taking in the urban theater of the boardwalk promenade.

Floating Pavilion

The Floating Pavilions engage the vast terrain of Vlora Bay with a whimsical and ever-changing public waterscape. A new destination for lounging, diving, and controlled swimming within the larger expanse of the sea, these elements incorporate both touristic and scientific needs serving also as monitoring stations for changes in water quality, tidal activity, and other coastal management issues.

Dune Pavilion

The dune pavilion creates a windbreak on the beach, organizing a field of restorative dunes to alleviate the seasonal pressures of currents and tides as they progressively reshape the Vlora coast. The dunes themselves foster the reintroduction of local flora and fauna, the sights and smells particular to the natural Vlora coast.

Inlet Pavilion

Inlet Pavilions allow the sea to sculpt new engagements with visitors to Vlora bay, providing a richer variety of ecohabitats. By staging areas with different salinities, a number of different fish farms and hatcheries can be supported to draw seasonal uses year-round by area fishermen and sporting enthusiasts. The pavilion itself augments these uses, supplying a ready stock of supplies and an area for quiet observation.

Filter Pavilion

The Filter Pavilion is placed beyond the road, and acts as a mediator between the neighborhood and the beach. Soft infrastructures embedded in local streambeds provide channeling and filtration for local stormwater runoff, reconnecting the hydrology of the mountains with the sea in a controlled environment. Bioswales help to cleanse the water while stormwater planting helps to alleviate pressure from inundation during storms.

Physical Model Effect Explorations

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Terraforming Pavilions

Maximizing Impact with Minimal Interventions

Affected by wind and water currents an object like a seashell accumulates around itself breathtaking patterns that trace current directions in an ephemeral landscape. The pavilions, inspired by seashells on the beach, are lightly supported on the beach where they generate effects larger than their own footprint. With minimal construction and investment, these objects create effects that are amplified at multiple scales, from the very individual occupation of its inner space, to the group gatherings, to the large sand dunes, to large planted areas, to pulse extension into the urban fabric. Constructed of lightweight metal framing and metal mesh, the pavilions shimmer in the sunlight resembling the elusive seaglass.

Vlora Waterfront \ Project Masterplan \ The Pulse

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Placemarkers for Satellite Tourism

In anticipation of project phasing, lightweight sculptural art pieces mark the outlines of the project in anticipation of construction completion. Inspired by seashell on the beach and their turbulent effects on the sand, the sculptures are constructed of lightweight twisting bundled strips of metal mesh and aluminum framing. The sculpture behaves as a pavilion, fostering beach and commercial activity while the area around it become affected by the turbulence of peoples movement to create dunes, plazas, beaches, and gathering spaces. The pavilions become markers that brand Vloras image not only locally but globally as well, behaving like aerial map pins where tourists can be introduced to local amenities virtually.

Providing Shade and Accentuating the View

While acting as markers of what is to come, the pavilions are easy to construct and inexpensive requiring no specific custom craft knowledge. The pavilions, while providing shade and gathering spaces for the beach goers, also frame the views towards the sea at specific poetic moments towards Sazan island or the Karaburun peninsula creating a connected network of contextual vignettes.

Mobile Arts Workshops and Residencies

As the peoples movement current surrounds the pavilions, its traces on the sand become ideas for further development phasing where sandscapes provide designated areas for outdoor public art workshops and studies of its relationship with urbanized beach cities. The constant movement of land art on sand provides fertile ground for exploration of ideas of ephemerality and its impact on natural ecosystems by local artists and art students creating a strong bond with local marine heritage.