Butrint Visitor Centre

In late 2022 the practice was shortlisted in a two stage design competition for a new visitor centre in Butrint, a unique Greco-Roman UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Albanian. The competition was organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants on behalf of the Albanian-American Development Foundation.

Our proposal sought to reveal the multiple layers of history of the site, inspiring a new generation of visitors. This would be achieved through a series of new pavilions and a network of routes between the key sites within the Butrint National Park.

Facing the Butrint channel and Vrina plain the Welcome Pavilion is the landmark structure in the masterplan which greets visitors and informs them about the wider park. Architecturally it seeks to be striking, memorable and contextual. The form of the pavilion is a simple response to its immediate topography, both in plan and elevation.

Within the bay to the north of the Butrint ruins a Floating Pavilion houses a café / restaurant and a water taxi pontoon that opens up access to the wider park and lake.

This sustainable masterplan is underpinned by a management strategy that seeks to promote community engagement and the long term viability of the site.