Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza

The new passenger terminal at Mother Teresa International Airport is a portent of things to come - at least, that was the message conveyed by politicians and entrepreneurs. The building does not attempt to impress with dizzying dimensions or Balkan braggadocio. Nor does it look like a political prestige object. All of which does not prevent people from reading more into this design of a central hall dominated by a huge, raked glazed front. While not all that unusual for an airport, in a country that has been hermetically closed off from the outside world for 50 years, it automatically has wider implications. It is the first building of the modern, transparent Albania, as unthreatening as the eponymous nun. The terminal's appearance is defined by a long narrow awning shaped like an aircraft wing, with pillars as slender as guy ropes seemingly holding it in place. Returning Albanians will feel immediately at home here; the question is whether they will recognize their homeland.