Din l-Art Ħelwa Awards for Architectural Heritage – May 2022

Rising awareness of MALTA’S INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

THE DIN L-ART ĦELWA AWARDS FOR ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE – MAY 2022

by Maria Grazia Cassar

Since 2005, the Din l-Art Ħelwa Awards for Architectural Heritage have given recognition and visibility to projects which have made a contribution to Maltese cultural heritage, and to the achievement of architectural excellence in Malta. Through these annual Awards, Din l-Art Ħelwa strives to promote the safeguarding of Malta’s heritage, together with the use of best practice in restoration and conservation.

Din l-Art Ħelwa has seen standards rising every year, through restoration and conservation projects executed with accomplished best practice methods.

This year the panel was particularly glad to note a growing awareness of the importance and significance of Malta’s industrial heritage; a whole new field of architectural heritage which is still being discovered and valorised.

The diploma for a Major Regeneration Project (Category A) went to a project that is contributing to the regeneration of towns and villages throughout the island— the Restoration Works Scheme for Local Communities, by the Restoration Directorate. This provides a structured platform for members of the public (through their Local Council) to submit proposals for the restoration of buildings and monuments which are of value to their community. Community members assist the Restoration Directorate team in compiling historic information and documentation, encouraging them to feel ownership of the project. After restoration the building or monument is handed back for it to be maintained by the locality. The group of projects which were entered with this submission, and which were completed this year, were the Chapel of St Catherine in Mqabba, Christ the Saviour church in Zejtun, the St Michael Archangel street shrine in Qrendi, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel street shrine in Ghaxaq, and St James church in Naxxar.

Below: The winners of the awards together with Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi (centre), Din l-Art Ħelwa executive president Alex Torpiano (fifth from right), and the chair of the judging panel Maria Grazia Cassar (fourth from right).

The Old Brewery in Farsons Street, Hamrun, by EM Architects. The Il-Biċċerija Valletta Design Cluster by the Restoration Directorate.

This year the panel was particularly glad to note a growing awareness of the importance and significance of Malta’s industrial heritage; a whole new field of architectural heritage which is still being discovered and valorised.

The Prix d’Honneur in Category A was awarded to the Il-Biccerija Valletta Design Cluster by the Restoration Directorate. This project converted a dilapidated complex of former bakeries, commercial and industrial spaces as well as residential units, into coworking and studio-based facilities, including meeting rooms and workshops, lab facilities and supporting ancillary facilities and services for the development of cultural and creative industies, particularly of start-ups and SMEs in design. With an eye on the regeneration of the surrounding spaces, it also upgraded adjacent public areas and created a landscaped public area on the roof, connected by a lift accessible to the public. The diploma for the Rehabilitation and Re-Use of Buildings (Category B) was awarded to the Old Brewery in Farsons Street, Hamrun, by EM Architects. This project saw the restoration of the original façade of the well-known former brewery and flour mill, developing the space behind it into a mixeduse complex with commercial offices, shops and residential units. While not wanting to promote façadism as a solution to protect historical buildings, it was appreciated that this magnificent example of art deco architecture applied to an industrial building has been saved. The four-storey vat tower which forms such a distinctive part of the main façade, was also restored and the new subdivisions within were made in a reversible manner so as to preserve its integrity (see article in this issue of Vigilo).

Also in Category B, the Prix d’Honneur was awarded to the Teatru Manoel Façade Restoration, by AP Valletta. This was a truly challenging project on one of Valletta’s most significant buildings. The judging panel appreciated the approach to this restoration which was the fruit of historical archival research, much study, and the archaeological interpretation of the existing fabric, leading to the uncovering of ghost-patterns of the original mouldings, and the presence of previous structural interventions. This contributed to the process of giving back the legibility of the façade through the reversal of recent alterations, and the reinstatement of lost architectural details, such as the Roman Doric columns framing the main entrance. Where information was lacking, such as in the case of the balcony balustrade, a contemporary design was created, based on iron sections that were prevalent in the eighteenth century which, when seen from a certain angle, recreates the form of a baluster. This whimsical ephemeral touch is very much in keeping with the baroque idea of theatricality and music, and a fitting contemporary element in the theatre façade (see article in this issue of Vigilo).

The diploma for a Restoration and Conservation Project (Category C), was awarded to the Historic Reinforced Concrete Water Tower Conservation Project. This

project was led by the University of Malta, and funded through the Public Abbatoir, the Planning Authority and the Research Project ReSHEALience in Ultra High Durability Concrete at the University of Malta (supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation programme). The intervention was conducted on the basis of scientific restoration methodology, based on a number of research campaigns in the assessment of the materials and the structure itself, as well as in the analysis, development and application of new materials with monitoring in the laboratory and on site. The project required the development of specific methodologies for intervention in a relatively new field, that is, reinforced concrete and on a complex structure consisting of the thin shell elements and slender columns of the water tower. Constructed in the 1930s to serve the needs of the Abbatoir, it is the only structure of its type and size in the Maltese Islands and is therefore considered to be an important industrial heritage monument. This project has saved it from demolition, and brought back its original appearance and structural integrity, giving it new life within its original context (see article in this issue of Vigilo).

The Judge Maurice Caruana Curran Prize is awarded to the project which in the panel’s view was the best in all categories. The winner of this prize this year was the Historic Reinforced Concrete Water Tower Conservation Project.

As in past years, this competition was conducted by Din l-Art Ħelwa with the support of the Kamra tal-Periti, who nominated Prof. Conrad Thake on the judging panel. Maria Grazia Cassar was chair of the panel, and the other judges were Prof Antonio Mollicone and perit Joanna Spiteri Staines. n

Through these annual Awards, Din l-Art Ħelwa strives to promote the safeguarding of Malta’s heritage, together with the use of best practice in restoration and conservation.

Above left: The restored Manoel Theatre façade. Above right: The Restoration Work Scheme for Local Communities, by the Restoration Directorate. Left: The Reinforced Concrete Water Tower Conservation Project.

CORPORATE MEMBERS & SPONSORS

ADRC Trust Alfred Mizzi Foundation

APS Bank plc Atlas Insurance PCC Ltd

Avantech Software AX Holdings plc Bank of Valletta plc Best Print Co Ltd

BNF Bank plc Corinthia Group Citadel Insurance plc Collinson Grant Curmi and Partners Ltd

Cyberspace Solutions Ltd Deloitte Malta

Dingli and Dingli Law Firm ECOVIS GRC Ltd

Eden Leisure Group EY Malta

Farrugia Investments Ltd Farsons Foundation Fenlex Corporate Services Ltd FIMbank plc finXP

Frendo Advisory Ganado Advocates GasanMamo Insurance Ltd

GO plc Horizon 2020 Project GEO4CIVHIC HSBC Malta Foundation

IIG Bank (Malta) Ltd INDIS Malta

Izola Bank plc J Ripard & Sons JZT Holdings Ltd KPMG Malta

Lombard Bank Malta plc Majjistral Action Group Foundation Malta Airport Foundation Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector Malta Development Bank Malta Stock Exchange Malta Tourism Authority MAPFRE Middlesea plc Mapfre MSV Life plc Medserv plc Melita Foundation Ministry of Education and Employment Ministry of Finance Good Causes Lottery Fund Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government MISCO

MJE Solutions Ltd

P Cutajar Foundation Parliamentary Secretariat for Sports, Recreation and Voluntary Organisations Psquared Asset Management AG Plaza Centres plc PwC Malta

RCLIN Pharma Ltd

Sak Ltd Shireburn Software Ltd Simonds Farsons Cisk plc Sparkasse Bank Malta plc STM Malta Trust & Company Management Ltd Strickland Foundation Sullivan Shipping Agencies Ltd The Tanner Trust TOLY Group Tug Malta Ltd Vassallo Builders Group Ltd Vodafone Malta Foundation

Voluntary Organisations Projects Scheme VJ Salomone Marketing Ltd Xlokk Local Action Group Foundation

LEGACIES

Karmen Micallef Buhagiar Marjorie de Wolff Anne Crosthwait Major Nestor Jacono - The Agapi Trust Gita Furber de la Fuente

BENEFACTORS

Anne and John Cachia Zoe and the late Pierre Chomarat

Heribert Grünert Anthony Guillaumier Albert Mamo Peter Mamo and family Chevalier Joseph Micallef Matthew Mizzi

Dr John Vassallo and Dr Marianne Noll

Dr Ingrid Vella Robert von Brockdorff