Knowing Earthen Architecture in Albania: Investigating some Case Studies in Tirana and Kavaje

This paper investigates the building techniques and related materials of some earthen constructions in Tirana and Kavaje in the framework of a scientific collaboration project between Italy and Albania. This architectural heritage is at significant risk of disappearing for many common reasons: the perception of poverty and unhealthy conditions it generates in most citizens, building speculation whereby earthen buildings are considered an obstacle to urban development, and a lack of specific laws to protect it. Furthermore, following the many earthquakes that hit Albania, the last one in 2019, the damaged earthen dwellings were replaced with fired bricks and reinforced concrete constructions. Several unprotected buildings in Kavaje and Tirana were thus studied to collect data and materials that could represent the last existing documentation. This manuscript analyses data relating to construction techniques, mineralogical and granulometric characterisation of the earthen materials constituting the bricks and mortars, and decay phenomena of the built heritage.