FIS

Project idea

The Peja Culture Pavilion is a visionary architectural project aimed at transforming a historically significant site in the heart of Peja, Kosovo, into a vibrant cultural and social hub. The site, which houses a 15th-century water fountain, has long been a focal point for community gatherings. However, due to years of neglect, it has fallen into disrepair and lost its original vibrancy. This project presents an opportunity to restore and enhance this historically rich location, integrating modern design principles while preserving the cultural heritage of Peja.

Project description

The Peja Culture Pavilion consists of four main areas: the Central Pavilion Space (67.5m²), a flexible indoor venue for cultural events and exhibitions; the Indoor Amphitheater (84m²), designed for performances and public gatherings; the Fountain Area (11m²), preserving the historic 15th-century water fountain as a cultural focal point; and the Artistic Installation Area (30m²), dedicated to public art, sculptures, and interactive displays. These spaces together create a dynamic and inclusive cultural hub.

Technical information

The Peja Cultural Pavilion is a dome-shaped, multifunctional structure designed with a strong focus on sustainability, energy efficiency, and flexible cultural use.The pavilion integrates advanced technologies within a lightweight yet expressive architectural language.

The pavilion is composed of four primary layers: glazing, envelope, steel truss structure, and interior layout.

The outermost layer features a hexagonal-patterned glass shell, incorporating ultra-thin organic photovoltaic (OPV) panels. These panels are lightweight, flexible, and highly efficient (570 W/kg), making them ideal for integration within the glass structure. They provide off-grid, renewable energy to meet the heating and cooling demands of the pavilion year-round.

Beneath the glazing lies the envelope, which adds an extra layer of thermal protection and helps regulate indoor conditions. Together, the glazing and envelope work to balance transparency, shading, and energy performance.

The entire structure is supported by a system of steel trusses, which form six large, arching frames. These trusses serve as the primary load-bearing elements, giving the pavilion its distinctive dome form while allowing for a wide, column-free interior space. The steel truss system transfers all structural loads efficiently to the foundation and supports both the glass and envelope layers, ensuring strength and stability with minimal material usage.

The interior has been carefully designed for spatial efficiency and versatility. A central area houses a fountain with an artificial puddle, above which sits a foldable podium that can be deployed for performances, art exhibitions, or public events. The amphitheater-style seating that wraps around this area is elevated, and the space underneath is fully utilized as a technical and storage zone, accommodating equipment, installations, and maintenance systems.

The pavilion uses a hybrid ventilation approach. In summer, passive ventilation is achieved through openings at the base and top of the dome, allowing hot air to escape and cooler air to flow in, creating a natural stack effect. This reduces the need for active cooling. The nearby pine trees provide natural shading, which helps lower indoor temperatures. In winter, a thermal pump system efficiently handles heating and cooling, supported by energy from the integrated solar panels.

Through its combination of steel truss engineering, passive-environmental strategies, renewable energy integration, and intelligent space planning, the Peja Cultural Pavilion offers a forward-thinking and culturally rooted architectural solution for year-round community use.

Documentation

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