In a prestigious accolade, CNN has bestowed upon the Pyramid of Tirana the title of one of this year’s most dazzling architectural projects!

CNN has reported on the transformation of the Pyramid of Tirana by Dutch architecture studio MVRDV, highlighting its inclusion in Architectural Digest’s ‘Works of Wonder’ list for the most spectacular architecture projects of the year.

As articulated in the article: In the city center of Tirana, Albania, residents and visitors can climb a monumental pyramid that was once the shining symbol of an oppressive dictatorship — their treading feet a triumph over the past. Reimagined by Dutch architecture studio MVRDV, the Pyramid of Tirana has been transformed from a dilapidated former museum dedicated to the country’s former leader (and later used as a NATO base, among other purposes) into a cultural hub with colorful boxes, stairs and sloping slides. It’s one of 18 new architecture projects that Architectural Digest has named the most spectacular of the year through its annual “Works of Wonder” or “WOW” list in the February issue.

“At a time when climate change looms large in our collective imagination — and when new construction continues to leave an outsize carbon footprint — it felt important to spotlight how existing architecture can be adapted for the future,” Sam Cochran, AD’s global features director, explained over email on the choice to include the Pyramid of Tirana.

“Through careful design interventions, the Dutch firm MVRDV has proven that it’s not just possible to put old buildings to new use, but to do so with a sense of joy, wit and fun,” Cochran added.