Përparim Rama (born January 20, 1976) is a

Kosovo Albanian The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-gr ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...

. His work has been published in London Building Design Magazine and several other international design magazines.

Biography

Përparim Rama was born in

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

on January 20, 1976. His father was a well-known Albanian painter. In 1992, when he was 16 years old, Përparim Rama moved to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

along with his cousin Iliriana. With the deteriorating political situation between

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and Serbia and the imposition of sanctions by the then Yugoslav state on Kosovo Albanians, all Albanian employees were removed from public office. Rama’s parents, both teachers, remained unemployed. At the time, young men were being recruited by the Yugoslav army to be deployed to the front lines in the war against Croats or Bosniaks. In Great Britain Rama sought asylum, which was granted due to the aggravated political situation in his homeland.

Education

Rama completed his undergraduate studies in architecture at

London South Bank University London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Elephant and Castle, London. It is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded in 1892 as the Borough Po ...

from 1995 to 1998. From 2001 to 2003 he continued the second part of his studies at the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

. Having completed his Bachelor studies, he pursued a Master DipArch degree at the

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

. Rama initially worked as a consultant at London Southampton Airport. He also worked as a mentor in the School of Architecture at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

and has supervised Doctorate Candidates in Generative Architecture and SMART building design in the MA and PHD program at the SmartLab Media Institute.

Career and awards

In 2012, at the

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

, Rama represented

for the first time in history with the 'Filigree Maker' Pavilion, which was positively welcomed by the international media and especially by the Biennale President Paulo Barata, who described the project as "Architectural Democracy". Rama was a consultant to the National Research Fund of the State of Qatar on the country’s current and future urban and architectural projects. He is also the leader of the master plan project team for the development of a 10 hectares sustainable village in

Dhërmi Dhërmi ( sq-definite, Dhërmiu; el, Δρυμάδες, ''Drymádes'') is a village in Vlorë County, Albania. It is part of the municipality of Himarë. The village lies 42 kilometers south of the city of Vlorë and about the same distance north ...

, on the southeast coast of Albania. Rama was a specialist advisor for the development of spatial planning tools and architecture in the municipalities of

Newham Council Newham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Newham. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a di ...

and Tower Hamlets in London. He has led the drafting of the regulatory plan for Kosovo's capital, Prishtina. He is a periodic advisor/critic at the University of East London and a Periodic Critic at the Architectural Association of the United Kingdom. Rama and his company have won recognition for their innovative projects. In 2013, Rama and his team won the First Prize in the World Interiors News Annual Award 2013 for the interior design of the Hamam Jazz Bar in Prishtina.

Projects

In 2017 Rama and his team were assigned to arrange the Oatlands Park Hotel in Surrey, Britain, a facility of historical value, as it is the building where the Great Tudor Palace once stood. The Zebrano in The City restaurant in London was designed by Rama. Zebrano In The City covers 6,000 square feet over two floors and has a fine dining restaurant, a bar and a late-night lounge. The British-Albanian company 4M Group, with CEO Përparim Rama, was among the finalists for the SBID International Design Awards, an award in the Global Design Calendar. Rama was a jury member of the interior design WIN Awards 2018. He is the winner of an award for designing coffee places in the "World Interior News" competition within the Saatchi gallery in 2013. He is also known for his involvement in the spatial planning of the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, for engaging in building the vision of Doha, the capital of Qatar, for major projects in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Running for Mayor of Prishtina

On a Facebook post, the chairman of the

Democratic League of Kosovo The Democratic League of Kosovo ( sq, Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës, LDK) is the oldest and one of the largest political parties in Kosovo. At the legislative elections held on 24 October 2004 the party won 45.4% of the popular vote and 47 out ...

, Lumir Abdixhiku announced that Rama will be the candidate with whom the LDK will aim to win back

in the local elections to be held in autumn 2021. Përparim won the election and took office on December 7th, 2021.

Personal life

Rama is married to Kristale Ivezaj and they have three children, Arra Serafinë Rama, Tigër Rok Rama and Bron Ndue Rama.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rama, Përparim Living people 1976 births People from Pristina Albanian architects 21st-century British architects Democratic League of Kosovo politicians Alumni of London South Bank University Alumni of the University of East London Mayors of Pristina