The Intercontinental Hotel, the Valletta Waterfront project, the restoration of the Xarolla windmill in Zurrieq and the Cottonera Sports Complex projects were officially recognised by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for their architectural quality yesterday.
The award ceremony took place at the Mepa offices in Floriana and was officiated by Environment and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino and Mepa chairman Andrew Calleja.
The InterContinental Malta project was submitted by Bezzina and Cole on behalf of the developers Eden Leisure Group. The hotel received an award for its engineering solutions and urban design. The panel commented on what they described as the excellent marriage of design and function, which sought to maximise the use of space on the lower floors.
Engineer Alexander Bezzina gave an overview of the technical difficulties of the project given the fact that the lower floors – which have to support the floors above them – were meant to be as open as possible with little visual obstruction in the form of walls and columns.
Furthermore, he commented on the internal garden, and the garden on top of what was until recently the ice arena. Both gardens rest on huge open spaces, he pointed out, while giving the technical details of how the problem was resolved.
In the same category, the Cottonera Sports Complex received a special mention for its complex yet effective metal structure which was used to span the building’s huge roof.
The structure was built locally and was supervised by the Works Division architects who designed and oversaw the building of the complex. In fact the division’s architects even designed the software needed to assess the structure.
The embellishment work at the Xarolla windmill in Zurrieq is another Works Division project which won an award. The panel considered the fact that the project managed to highlight the cultural and folkloristic elements of the complex while at the same time improving the aesthetics of the whole surrounding area.
The project was designed holistically and made good use of all the available elements. In fact, in the process of embellishment, three catacombs were discovered. A glass structure and lighting system were installed in order to have them permanently exposed yet protected at the same time.
Finally the award for conservation was given to the Valletta Waterfront sea passenger terminal. The project was proposed by the firm Architecture Project on behalf of the developers, VISET. Minister Pullicino commented on this project, saying that the restoration of the Pinto and Forni stores was absolutely impressive.
Minister Pullicino emphasised that such projects not only had good architects working on them but also visionary and creative developers. He encouraged the public to follow the example, and called on Maltese developers to embark on joint projects in a way that justifies quality architecture.
He also congratulated Mepa for their effort, pointing out that Mepa had a proactive role in such large projects. “I invite the media and the public to compare large projects when they are submitted and when they are approved. The direction given by Mepa often proves crucial in ensuring that a project is both functional and aesthetically pleasing,” he said.
Finally he suggested the inclusion of more awards for energy efficiency and use of external lighting.