The secret to constructing eco-effective buildings is to rediscover old architecture principles that architects and developers have sacrificed for unsustainable ways of building edifices over the years, said American architect Vincent Pieri, during a visit to Malta last week.

Mr Pieri, who is based in Puerto Rico and specialises in eco-effective architecture, was here at the invitation of Flimkien Ghal-Ambjent Ahjar, the US Embassy and the Department of Architecture and Urban Design of the University of Malta.

While in Malta, he delivered lectures about practical ways of implementing sustainable strategies, with an emphasis on the cost savings and environmental benefits of such techniques. Mr Pieri is also the architect of the new US embassy being constructed in Ta’ Qali.

“Until the 1960s the old architecture principles were still used but in the 1970s these were ditched for new ones and blended with technology, creating a disastrous unsustainable architecture. This coincided with the time when Malta invested heavily in reverse osmosis technology and people started to stop using wells and other natural methods to store water. At the time it was probably thought that it would be cheaper to run reverse osmosis but this does not happen anymore, as the Maltese people know very well,” said Mr Pieri.

Although in hindsight certain policies were adopted in the best interest of the country, nobody could tell the future, said Mr Pieri adding that technology does not take future needs into account and that economy is myopic about the future.

Architects got lazy and developers got choosy, not just in Malta but also all over the world, but when water is gone, life is gone, he added referring to Malta as one of the most water stressed countries in the world.

Mr Pieri visited some old houses in Malta such as Palazzo Sofia in Mdina and a 500-year-old house belonging to engineer Marco Cremona. “Old houses come with their own systems, which can still be used with a little modern twist. Mr Cremona probably uses half as much energy as the average Maltese person while the perception is that eco-effective measures cost more,” he remarked.

“I can’t understand how anybody owns apartments after experiencing the natural comforts that old houses offer. They are built in ways that make the best of natural breezes, thick masonry walls keep the cold outside and the warmth inside while deep set windows allow natural light in but keep the destructive sun rays outdoors,” he pointed out.

Referring to Mr Cremona’s house, he said that with a few minor adaptations the grey water from sinks and showers is recycled saving some 26 cubic metres of water.

“People struggle to understand how much energy is used to construct new buildings. This is used up in the transport, quarries, and manufacturing of materials among others. Locally produced materials are known to be the cornerstone of architectural heritage.

It’s time to change course, it’s ok to make mistakes but then one has to learn and move on,” he said.

Speaking about similarities between Malta and Puerto Rico, he said that like Malta, Puerto Rico is a densely populated island with old cities that are almost as old as Valletta.

Before arriving in Malta, Mr Pieri was aware of how dense Malta is. “I had maps and photos but I could only believe it when on the aeroplane I could literally see the outlines of villages and where nature begins. Now that’s dense,” he said.

Man and nature should be able to live in a nice matrix, and Malta needs more gardens to avoid the heat island effect. While he thinks that tree planting programmes in the urban areas are good, he suggests that land use, water use and storm water management planning should be reconsidered.

“The thought that Malta has 15 years of water left is frightening,” he finished.