Contemporary architecture and design exhibition kicks off in Valletta
Some of Malta’s most recent contemporary architecture and design gems are on display in an outdoor photographic exhibition in Valletta
The projects, winners of the Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning (MASP) Awards from the last two editions, showcase some of the best creative design efforts and celebrates the diversity and excellence to be found in contemporary Maltese architecture.
The architecture and interior design projects range from private residences, commercial and office buildings, public open spaces to theatres and innovation hubs.
While this photographic exhibition will enchant passersby through its subject matter, it also serves to drive the message that through excellence in design form an architectural project can be conducive to improving the quality of the built environment.
The exhibition also serves to recognise the quality work offered by people across the architectural industry for their talent, expertise and craftsmanship.
Such award-winning projects take so much more to realise than is visible on the surface; it is a team effort that requires time, dedication, expertise and passion. The exhibition has a dedicated panel for each project, which includes a selection of photos, the jury’s critique for having awarded the winning project and details of the team and firm behind the project.
Among the projects that can be admired, one will find the Valletta Design Cluster, Villa Fiorentina and Casa Bottega, three historic buildings that were rescued from obsolescence and given a new lease of life through sensitive adaptive reuse.
The Sterling HQ and The Saw Factory, also feature in the exhibition and demonstrate how high-quality contemporary industrial buildings can reverse the nondescript architecture that characterises such places. The PortomosoLaguna project stands out a high-quality solution to a design brief that required the prioritisation of the waterside location.
Also on display are a number of projects which received recognition for their high-quality interior design approach namely the Portughes Outlet in Ibraġġ, a Community and Nature Childcare Centre in Mosta and the residential transformation of two villas in Lija and Kappara.
One is also able to appreciate the Il-Pjazzetta and Roof Garden of the Design Cluster building which both are exemplary architectural works that created new public open spaces.
Other fine works include the transformation of the Imperial Residential Home, the high-quality restoration of Teatru Manoel, the King George and Berta hotel, the Tipico Building and the Gozo Innovation Hub.
“The objective of this initiative is to raise awareness and appreciation among the public for some of our country’s contemporary architectural treasures, which, at times, go unnoticed because they are not the typical palazzo or auberge with grand facades. While these much-loved buildings from the time of the Knights and beyond are deservedly renowned, the Maltese modern architectural world also offers quality projects that promise to leave a positive mark for decades to come.” says the PA’s Executive Chairman, Martin Saliba.
Launched in 2019 by the PA under the Patronage of the President of Malta, the MASP Awards are regarded as a prestigious calendar event and a mark of excellence in the industry.
To date, the awards have always included a repertoire of high profile foreign and local jury members and technical experts.
This exhibition will be open for the public between the 12th August and 12th September 2022.