MVRDV Unveils Ambitious Spherical Grand Ballroom in Tirana

A striking new architectural vision is emerging in Tirana, Albania, with the unveiling of MVRDV’s innovative design for The Grand Ballroom. This ambitious project, which won an international competition, aims to transform the site of the former Asllan Rusi Sports Palace into a bold 100-meter-diameter spherical venue. Designed to redefine mixed-use architecture, The Grand Ballroom integrates a variety of functions into a single, cohesive structure.

At the heart of the building is a 6,000-seat arena designed for basketball and volleyball. Surrounding this central space are hotel rooms, residential apartments, restaurants, and public areas, all carefully organized within the spherical form. Unlike traditional architectural designs that compartmentalize different functions into separate buildings, MVRDV has chosen to stack these varied uses vertically, creating a unique urban experience that embodies both monumentality and practicality.

Innovative Design Approach

MVRDV’s design philosophy demonstrates a nuanced understanding of how public and private spaces interact. At ground level, the sphere creates a dynamic impression in the landscape, with a lower floor that invites visitors into its most accessible areas. From this entrance, the building rises in horizontal layers, seamlessly transitioning from communal spaces within the arena to semi-public hotel facilities and ultimately to private residential units. This vertical arrangement optimizes the use of space while respecting the geometric constraints of the spherical design.

The exterior of The Grand Ballroom showcases MVRDV’s commitment to innovative facade design. The structure is enveloped in a grid of vertical and horizontal elements that create rhythmic openings. These apertures not only modulate natural light and views but also maintain the coherence of the spherical form. By distributing transparency across the facade, MVRDV reinforces the building’s geometric purity while ensuring that each functional area is adequately illuminated.

A New Architectural Landmark

The Grand Ballroom is set against the backdrop of Tirana’s evolving architectural landscape. The capital has increasingly become a hub for contemporary design, attracting international architects to propose daring new structures. MVRDV’s spherical design positions itself as a civic anchor, recognizable from various vantage points across the city while engaging pedestrians at street level through its distinct ground-level footprint.

The engineering challenges associated with constructing a sphere of this magnitude are significant, particularly when accommodating the diverse spatial requirements of an arena, hotel, and residential units. The gridded facade likely serves both structural and aesthetic purposes, helping to manage the loads across the entire surface. This approach marks a departure from the conventional multi-building mixed-use developments, where separate towers are often clustered around a plaza. Instead, MVRDV’s singular object functions as an integrated urban district, combining the roles of landmark and neighborhood.

The Grand Ballroom exemplifies architecture as both spectacle and functionality. It highlights a willingness to embrace geometric innovation, illustrating that even the most basic shape—the sphere—can be reimagined in radical and contemporary ways. As Tirana continues to reshape its identity, this project stands as a testament to the transformative potential of thoughtful architectural design.