First of all we would like to apologize for the late updates and inform all the visitors and supporters of Concrete Mushrooms Project that we have finally presented the disseration on 22nd of December 2009.

Consequently,

1. The presentatation of the disseratation has been reviewed by Matteo Poli on ABITARE  – International Design Magazine.

2. We have produced a monograph, for which we are trying to find the best possible solution for publishing it. (if you have any suggestions regarding publishers, please contact us)

3. Recently, we have finalized the Press Pack (both English and Albanian version), which will be available online during this week.

4. And finally, due to some technical problems and large amount of other works to be done, the documentary is still being edited and hopefully will be available to watch by the beginning of March 2010.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

Keep an eye on our blog for the updates!!

Bunkers – The restaurants of Bunec, Albania

The bunkers in Bunec are already transformed in restaurants, and nearby, there is a camping site used during the summer times…It’s just one of many examples of the transformed and well-used bunkers…

We would like to let everyone know that due to the incredibly large amount of work we still have to complete by the date of the presentation (22nd of December), we will not be able to respond to any questions or comments you might have.  The blog will also go into hibernation until the presentation at which point expect a major update.

We apologize for the inconvenience; see you in January.

Townsley’s current living space is about 1,100 square feet and completely round and surrounded by thick concrete.

Every room in the structure revolves around the center pillar like a clock — kitchen, living room, office, bedroom — all separated by short partition walls built by Townsley.

via Apartment Therapy Unplugged | Abandoned Nuclear Missile Silo Home.

 Of course one thing I’ve seen plenty of are bunkers. Hoxha got it through his head that the outside world (American imperialists, Krushchevite revisionists or misguided Maoists) was about to invade Albania and to repel them he built concrete bunkers all over the country – 700,000 of them, one for every 4 Albanians! Some of them are big enough for a troop of soldiers but most are a tight squeeze for one person. They litter the whole country, particularly along the coast. The photo above is of a nicely situated coastal bunker.

via Tony Wheeler.

5) The Pillboxes. Take a bus ride through the Albanian countryside and one thing is guaranteed to draw your attention: the domed bunkers that litter the landscape. A legacy from Enver Hoxha’s reign (he was a little bit scared of outside invasion to say the least), it’s estimated there’s one pillbox for every four Albanians.

via 5 Reasons to Visit Albania |.

Interesting film; featuring a German tourist who buys an Albanian  bunker for himself.

YouTube – Tirana Year Zero.

Just a video i stumbled upon… What is that in the background?

Their purpose was to provide anti-aircraft fire within the Thames Estuary area. Each fort consisted of a group of seven towers with a walkway connecting them all to the central control tower. The fort, when viewed as a whole, comprised one Bofors tower, a control tower, four gun towers and a searchlight tower. They were arranged in a very specific way, with the control tower at the centre, the Bofors and gun towers arranged in a semi-circular fashion around it and the searchlight tower positioned further away, but still linked directly to the control tower via a walkway.

via BLDGBLOG.

“The removal process is very costly. We could not afford such an expense,” Loci told the Associated Press, saying the army had only provided a tank to help the local initiative at Seman.

Not everyone wants to see them go.

 “The bunkers are always good attraction for foreigners.”

When built, the cost of a typical bunker was equivalent to five years of an average Albanian’s salary.

“You can’t get rid of the history and of the hard labor to build them,” Sadushi said.

via Communist-era bunkers cleared at Albanian resort; rest of the country will have a long wait.