"I'm working on an incredible project with my husband in the Mediterranean. It's massive in scale. (....) It's an unbelievable, beautiful 1400 hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean. We were on a friend's boat and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that's how we found it. We swam to the island, we went on a hike, bare foot, all the way to the top. And we were just captivated, and it stayed with us ever since. And over the course of many years we developed the opportunity to help realize its potential and transform it - but with a lot of restraint and care, because the land is so beautiful, that really the architecture has to be fully integrated into it, almost rise from it. You know, it's not even a business for me, despite the scale of it. Not only the island, but we have 5 miles of beachfront directly across from the island that's beautiful, this beautiful Peninsula on the side, the ocean on the other. Um, beautiful white sand beaches. For me this is, it feels more like a challenge than anything else: the culmination of all of my experience in real estate, all of my travel, a lot of reflection on how I want to live, how I think people increasingly are wanting to live, and trying to really build something that's a tangible manifestation of that. That requires a lot of vision, um, the collaboration of some of the greatest masters that exist. So I was just, um, I was just there, walking the land, um, really just trying to sort of be with it and experience it alongside some of the greates living architects of our time, like true masters of their craft, people with integrity so absolute, like there will be no compromise. And that's something we want to create there."[1]
"An open letter to Edi Rama
Prime minister of the Republic of Albania
Rotterdam, March 3, 2025
Your excellency / dear Edi,
Please forgive me for addressing you in this form. You may not remember me; we only met once, and I am merely one of many foreign architects currently working in your country. I am writing to express my gratitude for the opportunity to work in Albania and also my broader admiration for everything you have achieved since you became prime minister a little over a decade ago."
"Under your rule, Albania has acquired near model-status. Multiple religious and ethnic groups are peacefully living together; there is an effective separation of church(es) and state; a young working population keeps an economy afloat; labor participation by women is high and steadily on the increase; Albania is actively seeking EU membership and, not to forget, it has excellent taste in architecture."
"In an unruly world, Albania is beginning to feel like the hopeful exception: pro-international collaboration, pro-progressive values and, perhaps most importantly, pro-reason a beacon of enlightenment against the odds."
"The purpose of my writing, however, goes beyond flattery. I'm writing to you because I'm worried. At this moment, your party is seeking a fourth consecutive term. I can only hope they succeed. It is difficult to picture a new regime taking care of architects as well as the current one."
"Our profession is historically dependent on political patronage and certain somber thoughts have been going through my head lately. What will happen if the Socialists do not win the election? Will this mecca of contemporary architecture abruptly come to an end? Will a seemingly inexhaustible well of work suddenly dry up? Might the ArchArmy have to lay down its arms as expediently as it was mobilized?"
"I don't say this lightly, but for us architects, it would be best if the upcoming elections were simply called off. I would even go a step further. Given Albania's enduring status as an enlightened architectural patron, our profession would benefit greatly if the country never had another election again, and if you, after your fifth consecutive term as prime minister, would just continue as president for life - maybe even King."
"Major historical events are unfolding as we speak. Autocracy is rapidly gaining ground as the definitive form of twenty-first-century government. Hopes of a productive alternative are shattered on a daily basis. We seem to be witnessing the end of The End of History. In that context, my plea is as simple as it is straightforward: In a world of autocracies, may we have one benevolent autocrat with taste?"
"I know that what I am asking of you is no small sacrifice, yet it is one of momentous importance. I hope you will consider.
Yours sincerely,
Reinier de Graaf"[2]
“DECLARATION
After 35 years of transition, the time has come to put an end to a governance model that has repeatedly violated private property rights, misappropriated national assets and underminded the public interest.
This protest, organized in response to the ongoing seizure and misuse of national property and public assets, advances the following clear and non-negotiable demands:
These are not political demands. These are demands for justice, legality, accountability and the protection of the national interest.
We reject any attempt to compromise the fundamental rights of citizens or the assets that belong to all Albanians.
Today we call upon every Albanian, at home and abroad, to join this civic movement and put an end to this corrupt political establishment that has placed private interests above the common good.
Silence is no longer an option. The time to act is now.
Albania belongs to its citizens.”[3]
Foto's genomen te Brussel, op 7 juni 2026.
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Pagina aangemaakt: 6 juli 2026
Laatste wijziging: 7 juli 2026