The team of IOCARYDI was granted the design advancement and maturation of the Wide Beach Promenade regeneration for Orikum, Albania. The design of IO CARYDI followed the general programmatic principles that were drafted on the Preliminary stage Masterplan by Technical Planning and Development Ltd and further introduced to the project a set of new parameters: Firstly, it diversified and enriched the typologies of outdoor areas and the opportunities for open air-activities aiming to augment the coastal experience for the visitor. A floating stage for temporary concerts, a wave promenade for skaters, several hill trails, an observation platform, a mineral garden and amenities stations throughout the waterfront are some of these new features. Secondly, the team of IO CARYDI explored ways to restore the delicate balance between pressing tourism activities and the degraded coastal ecosystem of the beach. The team developed a set of vegetated built landforms and conservation zones in order to restore the presence of the coastal saline forests and vegetated dunes. Third, the team modified the masterplan so as to retrofit the plethora of irrigation ditches and streams that feed the coast. The team redesigned the ditches and stream profiles that were covered or dumped and interlinked them with vegetated swales and rain-gardens in order to formulate a soft sustainable drainage strategy for flood mitigation and coastal wetland regeneration. These soft systems where carefully stitched between the web of pathways and hilly patches. Overall, the design advancement and maturation of the Wide Beach Promenade involved balanced materiality of pervious and impervious surfaces and green infrastructures for hydrological attenuation, green preservation patches and diverse programmatic activities.
