Construction has started on a skyscraper in Tirana designed by Dutch firm MVRDV, set to feature a facade with a pixellated map of Albania at its centre.
With a height of 140 metres, Downtown One is set to become Albania's new tallest building, ahead of the 91-metre-high Rajfi Residence.
The tower will be built on Bajram Curri Boulevard, a major east-west route through the city, facing Skanderbeg Square. It will contain a mix of commercial and residential units, some which will project out from the building's facade.

Seen from afar, these cantilevered blocks will together form a "pixelated map" of Albania, with each one representing a different town or village. Residents will be able to identify their home by referencing the country's geography. "Albania has come a long way. Ten years ago it was the poorest country in Europe. Now it is a country with energy and ambition, working towards great economic improvements," said Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV.
"We want to express this with our building."

Shops and restaurants will occupy the ground floor of the 37-storey building. Above that will be 18 floors of offices, while residences will occupy the 18 uppermost floors. It total, it will 77,000 square metres of floor space.
Visualisations show a gridded facade, with rectangular windows divided up by a chunky frame.

Some of the projecting volumes will contain outdoor terraces, allowing greenery to spill out over the exterior. Maas hopes this w...