Prof. Assoc. Dr. Saimir Kristo is Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Creative Industries at Barleti University and Executive Director of the Architecture Fund in Albania. A practicing architect, he co-founded the Tirana Architecture Triennale, Open House Tirana, and international summer schools, boosting Albania’s cultural and academic presence. Actively engaged in European networks like LINA and the New European Bauhaus, he advances cross-border projects in sustainable development and creative industries. As a BIG SEE Nominator, he reflects on what is “too much” and what is “just enough” in architecture.
‘Just enough’ is architecture that listens before it speaks.
‘Too much’ is when architecture forgets why it exists. ‘Just enough’ is when it responds—carefully, responsibly, and with empathy—to real needs. In a time of accelerated production, visual excess, and over-programming, ‘just enough’ is not about minimalism as style, but about balance as ethics. It is knowing when to build, when to adapt, and when not to intervene at all. Architecture should not compete for attention, but contribute to collective life—environmentally, socially, and culturally. ‘Just enough’ is architecture that listens before it speaks.
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