Rehova Village
Thesis Project / 2018
The cooking exhibitor is a new concept I proposed as part of my thesis proposal. When I approached the third accommodated area I immediately noticed the ruin in the middle of the group. It was inevitable to see and it resonated with the whole neighborhood. The main issue when creating the final proposal for the area was the function of this ruin, near two hostels, a restaurant and a meeting place. The real challenge was its really small size which in most times is a great problem that creates amazing architectural solutions. I believe this was one of those cases. There were three amazing ladies in this area who cooked traditional food for the visitors.
The main issue was that they did not have a communal cooking space and the visitors had a great interest on the process of the production of all the recipes. This situation brought me to the idea of rehabilitating the ruin and turning it into a cooking exhibitor although it seems impossible at first due to the very small dimensions of the space. The design process started with detailed measurements and surveying on site with the help of the villagers. Consultation with the owners and random visitors. Then it continued with producing this tiny comfy space where the cooking smell would be the main atmosphere and the warm food and smiles would bring the feeling of home to everyone.
Rehova is a small village in southeastern Albania with many historical, natural and religious values. The amazing views, the warm houses, the carved wooden doors, the delicious food and the churches are some of the greatest beauties of Rehova left unattended for years.
When we visited the village for the first time, our main objective was re-bringing life and tourists to the village by adding needed infrastructure, accommodation spots and other services needed. We proposed six different interest points: the historic area, the local market, restaurants and accommodation spots which were divided further in my part of the study.
The strategic plan includes a series of steps suggested to the local municipality accompanied with a detailed urban plan from whom each of us studied strategic zones and groups of houses for a certain service. Our proposal was mutual in the first analytical phase and the urban plan then each of us studied their strategic points for the thesis.
My part of the strategic plan was the creation of four interest zones with accommodation as their main function. Each of these zones has a different spirit which has been configured by the actual functions, position of the existing buildings and their potential for later development.
