Freedom is a paradox. It is both an aspiration and a condition, something to be achieved yet always in negotiation. In Albania, freedom has been a radical shift, experienced as rupture rather than evolution. The collapse of the totalitarian regime in 1992 brought with it the euphoria of liberation but also the disorientation of unregulated change. Cities became sites of improvisation, where individuals reclaimed space in an urgent assertion of ownership. Public and private blurred, not by design but by necessity. What did freedom mean in those years? For many, it was the right to build without constraint, to shape space without restriction.

Three decades later, freedom continues to shape Albania’s built environment in unexpected ways. It manifests in the absence of a rigid architectural canon, allowing for experimentation, but also in the vulnerabilities that come with deregulation. Unconstrained by strict planning policies, architecture in Albania operates at the intersection of ambition and risk, creativity and consequence. What happens when freedom extends beyond personal agency to define an entire profession? When the lack of limits generates not just opportunity but also responsibility?

In architecture, freedom is never absolute. It is always in dialogue with structure, with material, with context. How does one navigate a landscape where rules are still in flux? As the country moves forward, the question remains: What kind of freedom is truly needed? One that liberates the individual or one that sustains the collective?

Lea Ypi - is a political theorist and historian specializing in Marxism, political philosophy, and the intellectual history of socialism. Her memoir _Free: Coming of Age at the End of History_ critically examines Albania’s transition from dictatorship to democracy, questioning the meaning of freedom in both systems. Ypi, originally from Albania, is a professor at the London School of Economics and a prominent voice in debates on ideology, individual agency, and historical continuity.

Elisabetta Terragni -  is an architect and educator specializing in memory, space, and adaptive reuse. She has played a key role in preserving and interpreting Albania’s architectural heritage as the curator of _The House of Leaves_ (Albania’s Museum of Secret Surveillance) and _Kadare House_, spaces that reveal layers of the country’s past. Terragni is a professor at City College of New York, where she explores the relationship between built environments and collective memory in transitioning societies.

Lucjan Bedeni -  is an artist and curator engaged with photography, archives, and visual memory. As director of the Marubi National Photography Museum since 2012, he has redefined Albania’s photographic heritage through exhibitions that reflect on identity, ideology, and historical narrative. Bedeni was awarded the Ardhje Prize in 2009 and completed a residency at ISCP in New York. He has taught at the University of Shkodra and holds a doctorate focused on the origins of photography in Albania.

Albania’s built environment has long been a reflection of its political and economic transformations. From centralized planning under socialism to the unregulated expansion of the post-communist decades, architecture has navigated shifting constraints and newfound freedoms. Prior to the 1970s, there was no dedicated school of architecture. The architect, as an intellectual who could question and think freely, didn’t exist as such. First and foremost, he was a worker and then a technician who worked rigorously, following the ideology as the only theoretical framework. After the 1970s, the school of architecture became a space for the children of the politburo. No longer just technicians, they now aimed to interpret the doctrine of “socialist in content and nationalist in form”, reshaping the profession. But can one truly be an architect under an oppressive regime?

Today, architects are involved in almost everything, and recently the term ‘local architect’ has gained significance. Perhaps it’s not that recent, as historically most of the largest public projects have been designed by foreign architects and the locals have always carried out the construction. Unlike many places where architects operate within rigid frameworks, those in Albania must balance their creative freedom with a commitment to the collective good. How will this relationship push the boundaries of the profession in a rapidly changing country? Foreign architects do more than design. They navigate competing interests and introduce long-term thinking into a sector often driven by short-term gains. Why is the foreign architect needed and what balance do they provide?

Elidor Mëhilli -  is a historian specializing in modern Europe, authoritarian regimes, and transnational history, with a focus on socialism and the Cold War. His research, particularly in _From Stalin to Mao: Albania and the Socialist World_, explores Albania’s architectural and industrial landscapes within broader ideological frameworks. Mëhilli, originally from Albania, is a professor at Hunter College, CUNY, and has been a visiting scholar at institutions such as Columbia University and the Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung.

Andi Eftimi - is an architect and urban planner, serving as a partner at Atelier 4, an Albanian architecture and planning studio. His work spans residential, commercial, and public projects, engaging with Albania’s evolving architectural landscape from post-socialist urban transitions to contemporary large-scale developments. Eftimi has collaborated with international firms such as 51N4E, Archea Associati, and MVRDV, contributing to transformative architectural and urban design projects in Albania and beyond.