Summary: Art-Tek Tulltorja was initiated in late 2023 by Rafi Segal Architecture + Urbanism (MIT/Boston), ORG Permanent Modernity (Brussels), Office of Urban Drafters (Kosovo), and collaborating artist Marisa Morán Jahn (Parsons/MIT). Together, the team won an international competition to transform the site into an art and technology district.
Currently in the late design phase, the team envisioned “Art-Tek Tulltorja” as a dynamic, climate resilient hub that incubates the next generation of artistic and scientific discoveries in Kosovo and beyond, catalyzing a transformation from bricks to bytes.
A model of Art-Tek Tulltorja will be included in the Venice Biennale of Architecture (opening to the public on May 10 and closing in November 2025.
Art-Tek Tulltorja is a dynamic, climate-forward hub where 21st century creative industries, artists’ studios, galleries, co-working spaces, and tech entrepreneurs converge. Located in Prishtina’s former brick factory, Tulltorja Art-Tek will incubate the next generation of artistic and scientific discoveries in Kosovo and beyond, catalyzing a transformation from bricks to bytes.
Art-Tek Tulltorja aims to function as a vibrant destination that nurtures the talent, collaboration, and innovation needed for cultural and economic regeneration. Newly constructed buildings alongside adaptive reuse, retrofitted and renovated buildings, and preserved heritage features integrate art production facilities (recording and motion capture studios, rehearsal spaces, ateliers, wood and metal working facilities, maker studios), presentation facilities (theater, outdoor amphitheater, gallery, showrooms), hospitality amenities (museum-hotel, eateries, boutiques), and multigenerational social services and public amenities.
A mixed-use integration of co-working and maker spaces, state of the art production and presentation facilities, and unique cultural offerings will mark Art-Tek Tulltorja as a vibrant destination that nurtures the talent, collaboration, and innovation needed for cultural and economic regeneration.
Designed as an urban oasis connecting commercial zones to historically underserved residential communities, Art-Tek Tulltorja’s landscape design, blue-green infrastructure, and low emission transportation strategies prioritize climate resiliency, setting an important precedent in the Balkans and beyond for environmental sustainability.
Context: Established in 1947, the factory’s greatest period of output in the 1980s yielded 40-45% of the city’s bricks — in other words, literally building the city itself. However, with the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1990, the rising Serbian regime prohibited ethnic Albanians from participating in public life and working in the factory. After a period when brick production stopped, production began again at 19.5% capacity and other companies began moving into the space. Cultural activity in recent years demonstrated not only how creatives could use the space but also the public interest in adaptive re-use.
Today, Kosovo is Europe’s youngest country: 51% of the population are under the age of 26 who face an employment and training gap in a country. The opportunity to build the workforce’s 21st century skills, retain local talent, and attract international visitors is urgent. Art-Tek Tulltorja’s designs, seen through the unit of the brick, promises to mark it as a vibrant destination that can nurture the talent, collaboration, and innovation needed for Kosovo’s cultural and economic regeneration.
Photos of the site before construction
