Përparim Rama (born 20 January 1976) is a Kosovo Albanian architect and urban planner serving as the current

Mayor of Pristina The mayor of Pristina ( Albanian: Prishtinë; Serbian: Приштина or Priština) is the head of the City of Pristina (capital of Kosovo). The mayor acts on behalf of the city and performs the executive function in the City of Pristina. In th ...

since 7 December 2021. His work has been published in London Building Design Magazine and several other international design magazines.

Biography

Përparim Rama was born in

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

on 20 January 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 north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

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

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

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 University of East London (UEL) is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford, London, Stratford and London Docklands, Docklands, following the opening of University Squar ...

. 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 research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

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 The Venice Biennale of Architecture ( Italian: ''Mostra di Architettura di Venezia'') is an international exhibition showcasing architectural works from around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. Originally held in even-numbered ...

, 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; , ''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 69 kilometers north of the southern city of Sarand� ...

, 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 also known as Newham Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Newham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority co ...

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, were 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 (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Running for mayor of Pristina

On a Facebook post, the chairman of the

Democratic League of Kosovo The Democratic League of Kosovo (, LDK) is the oldest and one of the largest list of political parties in Kosovo, political parties in Kosovo. History During the late 1980s, nationalism was on the rise throughout the Socialist Federal Republi ...

Lumir Abdixhiku Lumir Abdixhiku (born 22 April 1983) is a Kosovar Albanian politician serving as President of Democratic League of Kosovo since 14 March 2021. He previously served as Minister of Infrastructure and Environment in the 2019. He was also a Chairma ...

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. Rama won the election and took office on December 7, 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