The Nest and Cascades, Tirana, Albania

The Nest and Cascades in Tirana

5 June 2026

Architecture: Zaha Hadid Architects

Location: Tirana, Albania

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Located in Kodra e Diellit, the fastest-growing district of Tirana, the Nest and Cascades are new additions to the community. Renowned for its colourful post-communist architecture and vibrant café culture, Tirana is the capital of Albania with almost one million residents living within its greater metropolitan region. Progressing rapidly towards European Union membership, the Albanian economy is predicted to grow significantly in the coming years—with Tirana as the centre of its growth.

The Kodra e Diellit district of Tirana is located on the hillside to the south of the capital with panoramic views across the city. Currently consisting of large family villas and town houses, the neighbourhood is a thriving community interconnected by a network of pedestrian walkways and courtyards within the natural landscapes and woodlands of the Dajti Mountain. Integral to this community, Kodra e Diellit offers popular children’s clubs and playgrounds, sports clubs and leagues, schools and kindergartens, as well as health centres, shopping and dining.

Connected to the city centre by the L.1B dedicated bus route with scheduled services operating every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day and evening, the Kodra e Diellit neighbourhood is also served by local bus routes L.2 and L.16.

The popularity of the Kodra e Diellit neighbourhood has created notable demand for residential accommodation that offers greater accessibility for younger families, couples, young professionals and retirees who no longer require a large family home. ZHA’s design of the new Nest and Cascades developments provide apartments that respond to this significant demand for a wider variety of residential accommodation in Kodra e Diellit.

The Nest

Organized across four plots within the Kodra e Diellit neighbourhood, the Nest encompasses a diverse range of one- to three-bedroom apartments around a community park planted with local mediterranean flora to shelter residents during the summer months.

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Defined by its location and environment, the Nest’s design has been informed by comprehensive analysis of the site and mapped to ascertain detailed fluctuations in topography, solar radiation, temperature, humidity, prevailing winds, air quality and rainfall throughout the year.

Applying these comprehensive datasets to complex digital models, ZHA has developed and refined the design to optimise views and enhance building performance. The façades have been calibrated to enable cross-ventilation throughout each apartment by capturing Tirana’s prevailing easterly winds, maximizing comfort for residents. Recessed terraces and cantilevered balconies offer each apartment sheltered outdoor spaces.

Sustainability considerations have determined the Nest’s building orientation, façade design and landscape strategy—targeting Gold certification under LEED v4.1 Residential BD+C: Multifamily Homes.

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The design responds directly to Tirana’s humid subtropical mediterranean climate, with the architecture serving as a passive environmental system. Deep façade reveals, overhanging balconies, and recessed openings are computationally designed to intercept summer solar radiation while admitting low winter sun deep into the apartments—bringing high levels of natural light to 95.3% of occupied spaces within the development.

A full Life Cycle Assessment benchmarks the Nest at an embodied carbon intensity of 471 kgCO₂e/m² – substantially below the regional average of 566 kgCO₂e/m² – informing material choices including modular construction, recycled aggregates, and terracotta cladding in preference to higher-carbon curtain wall alternatives.

Each building within the Nest incorporates façades informed by its surrounding landscape— two buildings are finished in a fawn-coloured material palette, the third in terracotta, and the fourth in a deep red stucco echoing the iron-rich terrain of its adjacent hillside.

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The central park’s landscaping connects the community and functions as climate infrastructure as well as social amenity. Designed with planted shading zones that remain up to 16°C cooler than exposed hardscape, the masterplan dedicates 55% of total site area to green space – exceeding LEED open space requirements by 83.3%. High-albedo surfaces, permeable paving, and native planting actively mitigate urban heat island effects identified through thermal mapping of the surrounding urban fabric.

Water throughout the development is managed as a closed loop, with rainwater harvested for irrigation, grey water treated on-site for non-potable reuse, and native planting reducing irrigation demand.

Roof-mounted solar arrays supply renewable electricity, while EV charging, bicycle storage, and local civic amenities support a walkable, low-carbon lifestyle for residents.

The Cascades

Extending the existing Arka Art Hotel within Kodra e Diellit that overlooks the city, the Cascades’ design comprises a new 120-room hotel wing, a 60-metre extension of the hotel’s existing swimming pool, as well as a new residential wing of apartments situated above its podium that is embedded within the hillside.

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Two landscaped courtyards serve as gathering places for the Cascades’ guests and residents. The Poolside Courtyard extends the existing hotel terrace and restaurant veranda, while the Hillside Garden Courtyard offers a quieter, terraced landscape with panoramic views of the city.

Drawing on local materials and craftsmanship, the architecture’s composition is defined by the topography of the surrounding hillside with a series of cascading garden terraces orientated to optimise views across the valley.

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ZHA’s analysis of the site using digital mapping and environmental modelling have informed the design to optimise efficiencies in the Cascades’ composition, orientation, structure, facade-to-floor ratios and solar irradiation.

Serving as extensions of the hotel’s guest rooms and the residential apartments, deep terraces provide residents, guests and visitors with a variety of public and private sheltered outdoor spaces.

Situated on a podium of locally quarried limestone, the Cascades’ façades are crafted in GRC panels incorporating the distinct colours and textures of this renowned local stone, echoing the unique qualities of the surrounding landscape.

Cast on site in modular strips, the GRC panels minimise structural loads and transport distances while also allowing the textures evident within the region’s geology to be reflected in the development’s façades. The panels’ light colour reflects solar radiation, easing cooling demand, while its thin profile reduces raw material use by up to 70%.

The same resource-aware approach has determined interior finishes. Lime based stucco naturally regulates humidity and requires no synthetic paint. Similarly, balustrades cast in bronze also require no maintenance coatings. Sustainably-harvested chestnut flooring provides a resilient natural surface underfoot.

Incorporating rainwater collection, greywater recycling, green roofs, external solar shading, and natural hybrid ventilation with waste heat recovery, the Cascades’ design delivers long service life, minimal embodied carbon, and a material palette defined by the surrounding hillsides.

The Nest and Cascades in Tirana, Albania – Building Information

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) – https://www.zaha-hadid.com/
The Nest

ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Director: Filippo Innocenti
ZHA Project Associate: Marco Guardincerri
ZHA Project Architects: Stefano Rocchetti, Ivo Ambrosi
ZHA Project Team: Mattia Badiani, Engsea Leang, Louai Jaber, Diego Ariza, Nivedita Ramachandran, India Baz
ZHA Environmental & Sustainability Team: Abhilash Menon, Aditya Ambare, Bahaa Alnassrallah

The Cascades
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Director: Filippo Innocenti
ZHA Project Associate: Marco Guardincerri
ZHA Project Lead: Ivo Ambrosi
ZHA Project Team: Engsea Leang, Calin Negret, Diego Ariza, India Baz, Louai Jaber, Nivedita Ramachandran, Mattia Badiani, Stefano Rocchetti
ZHA Environmental & Sustainability Team: Abhilash Menon, Bahaa Alnassrallah, Aditya Ambare

Local Architect: Agikons Studio

The Nest and Cascades, Tirana, Albania images / information received 050626

Location: Tirana, Albania, southeastern Europe

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