Story of the building
MuZEH Lab is established in this building which dates back to 1928.
Durrës, known for its seismic movements, in 1926 suffered a large earthquake that destroyed the city and all the buildings of that time. This building was built right after, applying the anti-seismic system in the construction and operating the decorative elements and the Italian fascist architecture of the time.
The apartment was not built for living at the time of construction, but as a residence for citizens who could rent it. The apartment has three floors, which are not visible to the unaided eye on this side. Here we are currently on the second floor of the apartment, while the first floor is underground, as it was used for facilitating services, laundry, storage and cooking of various meals.
As you can see, the apartment has two doors in the shape of arches in iron material, made by artisans and ironworkers from Bari, Italy. Therefore, the doors are the heart shaped and these original objects that were not changed or altered during the communist period. Here the residence enters the second phase of its life.
The interior was changed in 1948, when a decision was made to enable the properties of the previous owners. The premises are adapted for the families that will be settled here. A partition wall was added to the apartment, to have 6 families in this apartment, two families for each floor. From the original construction, the height of the walls of 3.80 cm high - the ventilation of buildings for a healthy life was key for the Italian architects - was maintained.
During this phase some interventions in the external facade of the building were made. For instance: originally, the apartment had 4 balconies around the perimeter of the house. But nowadays you can notice that, the original balcony was removed and it was adapted during the period of communism in order to be used as an additional cooking area.
The second floor is also associated with the name of one of the most famous citizens of the city, the physician Dr. Cara and his work. Even today, various citizens when visiting associate housing with the doctor. Meanwhile, we arrive at the third phase of the building's life, that of using it to return to a space where heritage and creativity are intertwined, to reach the citizen by using culture to improve his social life.