Issue no. 39 | December 2006 k a m r a
t a l
N e w s pa p e r P o s t
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p e r i t i
In every issue
PRACTICE
FEATURE
contents
CURRENT
Dc ee cm em e r2 02 0 60 6 De b eb r
4 Editorial 5 KTP News 6 KTP President 8 People & Projects 11 EU Desk 12 SACES
14 16 17 18
KTP AGM A Bridge for Venice Kilimanjaro Property
20 22 24 25 26
Heritage Events UMAR Reviews International Events
20 23
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17 “Our profession, indeed architecture, needs a home; a place to operate from, a place to provide the public with information, a facility which provides a solid resource base to address the development of our built environment in an adequate manner.� Perit David Felice
12
Winds of Change?
editorial
I
n Summer 2004, “the Architect” was re-launched in its new improved format. Eleven issues down the line, this publication is still going strong and is reaching a readership that extends beyond members of the profession and their families. Although the Editorial Team rarely receives written correspondence from readers discussing the contents and format of the journal, verbal comments often come our way, and these have so far been generally positive and encouraging. Most of the success of this journal is due to the hard work of the editorial team who, four times a year put their heads together to formulate the contents of the upcoming issue. In particular, this journal would not have reached the level of quality it has without the vision of David Felice, who has carried out the role of Editor since its re-launch. Now that he has taken on the post of President of the Kamra tal-Periti, he has relinquished his role as Editor in order to better serve the KTP and its members through his new responsibilities. While thanking David for his work in getting tA back on its feet and creating a publication that surely graces a number of bookshelves and coffee tables around the Islands, I take this opportunity to congratulate him on behalf of our readership on his new appointment, and wish him all the best in his new tasks for the coming two years. I also take this opportunity to thank the members of the past Council of the KTP for the confidence they have shown by appointing me as Editor of tA for the coming issues. While David’s shoes are physically more than a couple of sizes too large for me, I hope to still be able to fill them well metaphorically! This issue of tA comes at a time when a number of things are changing within the profession. We have a new Council, to whom I extend a word of thanks for their generosity in serving KTP’s members and the community at large through their work and dedication. We are also looking at a time when a number of aspects of the profession are being discussed with the aim of improving the profile of the profession, in particular the issue of Tariff K, the enforcement of compulsory professional indemnity and the revision of the Code of Ethics. Things are changing constantly, hopefully always for the better. Others remain constant, and a struggle to overcome, such as the continued disregard of our
Modern architectural heritage by the media and various authorities. It is still difficult to obtain even a minimum level of nation-wide interest in issues related to the loss or misuse of our more recent architecture, or to engage the public in constructive architectural debate, unless these are in some way a means of accusing MEPA or Government of one thing or another… but then, has that got anything to do with architecture? Other aspects are completely lacking or poorly defined. While it is difficult to identify which these issues are, the symptoms are not that hard to pinpoint. One of these is the low attendance to some of events organised by the KTP and the number of periti who opt to become paid up members of the KTP. Another is the complete absence of any contribution by Malta to the Biennale of Venice. One cannot but wonder where our priorities really lie, and whether some issues are just deemed to be completely irrelevant, or whether there are more important things that require attention before these shortcomings can be tackled constructively. This issue of tA comes at the end of a two-year term of the Council under the Presidency of David Pace, a term that was characterised by a number of events, press releases and discussions within various Maltese and international fora that served to raise the profile of both the Kamra and the profession. Maintaining this profile will certainly be one of the main priorities of the new Council, though there are also a number of other items that will top its agenda. These include the finalisation of a National Policy for Architecture, work on which commenced earlier in 2006, and the continuation and improvement of the Kamra’s relationship with international bodies such as the ACE, UIA and UMAR. The New Year is traditionally a time for making resolutions, generally with the aim of making one a better person. Extending this concept to the KTP, it feels like now is a time to look back and take stock of the Kamra’s achievements in the past years, and to identify a few aspects that require special attention in the coming months in order to improve the KTP’s operation, to attract more membership and to better sensitise the public at large to the issues that matter to it most.
THE PROFESSIONAL CENTRE SLIEMA ROAD GZIRA GZR 06 - MALTA TEL./FAX. (+356) 2131 4265 EMAIL: kamratalperiti@nextgen.net.mt WEBSITE: www.ktpmalta.com
To support members of the profession in achieving excellence in their practice of architecture and engineering in the interest of the community
The Council of the Kamra Tal-Periti for the year 2007 consists of David Felice (President), David Pace (Past - President) and Council members Keith Cole , Anthony Fenech Vella, Alberto Miceli Farrugia, Danica Mifsud, Antoine Zammit, Damian Vella Lenicker, Vincent Cassar, Malcolm Sullivan, Ruben Sciortino and Philip Grech. The Architect is the official journal of the Kamra Tal-Periti. It is published on a quarterly basis and distributed with the Malta Business and Financial Times. The Architect is not to be sold separately. The contents of this journal are copyright. Reproduction in part or in full is forbidden without the permission of the editor. The opinions expressed by writers of signed articles and letters appearing in the magazine are those of their respective authors, and neither the Kamra Tal-Periti nor Newsworks Ltd is responsible for these opinions or statements. Editor: Simone Vella Lenicker Consulting Editor: Danica Mifsud Design: Zvezdan Reljic Sales executive: Joseph Zammit Published by:
Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 02 Malta Tel: +356 21 382 741 Fax: +356 21 385 075 Email: admin@mediatoday.com.mt Printed at: Union Print
Simone Vella Lenicker Editor
One of the projects at 'Morphosis' D e c e See m bpage e r13 for 2 0details. 06 xx
Standing Committees
In accordance with the KTP’s bye-laws, the role of the Standing Committees is to discuss matters referred to it by the Council, the President and/or the Chairperson of the Standing Committee, to make recommendations for eventual decision by the Council and to take action on matters related to that field of work within the parameters as set out by the Council. Members of the Kamra who are interested in serving on any of the Standing Committees for 2007 are requested to fill in the nomination form which can be downloaded from www.ktpmalta.com, or contact the Kamra for further details.
Details on Website
From time to time the Kamra has received telephone calls and e-mail messages from local residents, as well as from persons living overseas, seeking the contact details of periti to appoint them on specific jobs. In view of the Data Protection Act, the KTP could not, and did not, give out such details. The Council has debated the requests during a recent meeting and decided to create a list of members on the website to which future requests can be referred. If you are interested to participate in the system, kindly contact the KTP for further details. Please note that although e-mail is a very convenient way for people to get in touch with you, making your e-mail address freely available on a web site may lead to your receiving unsolicited messages.
MEPA
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority, has issued for public consultation updates to the Design and Policy Guidance, DC2005, which brings together 129 policies under 15 different chapters. The subjects range from general principles on architectural design, policies regarding size and height limitations, policies regarding gardens,
December 2006
balconies and apertures, policies regarding industrial and commercial development and policies regarding parking and use of energy. The proposed amendments affect 13 policies in 7 chapters. The major amendments relate to floor area ratio, penthouses and single bedroom units. The consultation document also includes two sections which were deemed necessary due to the recent approval of the Local Plans. The KTP Council had a constructive consultation meeting with MEPA to discuss the proposed amendments, wherein a number of suggestions were put forward to MEPA. A follow up meeting will be held in December to discuss these suggestions as well as the proposed policy for tall buildings and internal development within UCAs. The KTP would like to receive from periti and its members any comments and suggestions they wish to submit to MEPA regarding these proposals and policies. All correspondence on this matter can be sent by return email to the secretary of the Kamra, and copied also to MEPA.
Activities
sations which focus on Civil Engineering: ECEC (European Council of Engineering Chambers), ICE (Institute of Civil Engineers) and WCCE (World Council of Civil Engineers). Therefore, these will also be considered.
Valuations CPD
A number of certificates of participation in the Valuations CPD held last year have still not been collected from the KTP’s office. Those participants who have not collected their certificate are requested to do so at their earliest convenience.
Email The KTP often sends out important announcements via e-mail. If you do not receive these messages, please submit your e-mail address to the KTP office by contacting the office secretary as per the details below.
Contact KTP
The main events held during the last three months were the Architecture Nights series and Time for Architecture 2006. See pages 22-23 for further details.
The KTP Official E-mail addresses are as follows:
Annual Drinks
president@ktpmalta.com (President, Perit David Felice)
As is customary, the Kamra will once again organise its Annual Drinks event for its members in January. Further details will be notified in the coming days.
St Aloysius College
As part of its Careers Week, St Aloysius College asked the Kamra tal-Periti to participate in this event by setting up a stand about the KTP and the profession. Furthermore Periti Keith Cole, Alex Bezzina and Adrian Mifsud participated in a discussion on the profession, wherein they explained the various aspects of the profession to the students. The Kamra’s involvement in such events ensures that those choosing this career may have a better idea of what the profession is about, and early contact with the Kamra is beneficial in promoting a better relationship between new periti and the KTP.
KTP News
New Council
Another year has come to an end, and with it the KTP Council for 2006 reached its end of term during the Annual General Meeting held on 01 December 2006. At this same AGM, the new KTP Council for 2007 was confirmed. David Felice, who served as Vice President for the past two years, was confirmed as President for the coming two. Tony Fenech Vella, Danica Mifsud and Antoine Zammit, who were elected last year, will serve for one more year. Keith Cole and Alberto Miceli Farrugia, who served on Council during the past two years, were re-confirmed for the coming term. New members on the Council are Vincent Cassar, Philip Grech, Ruben Sciortino, Malcolm Sullivan, and Damian Vella Lenicker. David Pace will serve for one year as Past President. A full report on the AGM can be found on pages 14-15. The new Council takes this opportunity to thank the former members of the 2006 Council who will not be serving during the current term, namely Alfred Briffa who held the post of Honorary Treasurer, Edgar Rossignaud who held the post of Chairman Professional Practice Standing Committee and William Lewis. The new Council also thanks all those members who participated in the Kamra’s Standing Committees during the past year for their involvement and contribution to the KTP’s work. The new Council held its first meeting on Wednesday 06 December.
thearchitect@ktpmalta.com (Editor, Perit Simone Vella Lenicker) admin@ktpmalta.com (Web Site administrator; Perit Saviour Borg) kamratalperiti@nextgen.net.mt (KTP office secretary; Mr. Anthony Cassar) The KTP office secretary is available at the KTP office every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 – 12:00hrs.
ECCE
Perit Danica Mifsud represented Malta at the European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE) meeting held last November in Brussels, as a result of Council discussion whereby it was decided that KTP should be associated with a European organisation of Civil Engineers. This was deemed important since our profession combines both Architecture and Civil Engineering. This meeting was attended by 22 member countries, with Malta as an observer and thus not eligible to vote. Primary items on the agenda were the formation of Standing Committees, the approval of ECCE articles of Association and ECCE by-laws, as well as a visit to the European Parliament. KTP must now decide whether it would like to confirm its membership in ECCE. The next meeting will be held in Romania, next May, where KTP may, for the last time, participate as an observer. There are another three organi-
Outgoing President
From one David... T
his will be my last message to you as President of the Kamra tal-Periti. The next one will also be signed by ‘David’ but it will be David Felice who shall be addressing you as President. I wish him every success in his term as President. We have worked closely over the past two years in tackling the various issues concerning the profession, supported by a Council which has again delivered in terms of commitment, and I take this opportunity to thank all the members on your behalf. I also wish to thank all those who have come forward to contribute in one way or another, in the KTP’s work, especially those who served on the various committees and those who have represented the KTP in various fora, both locally and abroad. Much of the work we went through was addressed at giving the profession a higher, more positive profile. This was done directly by increasing awareness on what the profession of the ‘perit’ is all about, as well as indirectly by the stand the KTP has taken on many issues concerning the environment. Such events as Time for Architecture (now in its second year) and Architecture Nights, which drew large audiences with a healthy mix of periti, students and members of the public were very effective in regaining lost ground where the public perception of the profession is concerned. To this we must also add the work on the National Policy on Architecture. We are also commencing on a project for a Centre for the Built Environment and another on Architecture and Children. I am glad to report that the feedback has been very positive, but it has also shown very clearly that much work still needs to be done to give the KTP the capacity to work effectively and efficiently in the interest of the profession. Lack of financial and human resources remain, as always, a problem. This is a problem that the incoming Council will have to tackle if the momentum is to be sustained. It is no secret that I have always given great importance to strengthening our international ties. They are a vital source of information and expertise, particularly the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) which provides the interface between the profession and the EU Commission. Last November I attended the Assembly in Brussels, together with
longer be treated as an open-ended ‘go-as-youplease’ bus ticket, but a mark of responsibility, acquired through much effort but easily lost through unethical conduct or failure to retain a satisfactory degree of professional competence. We are moving towards a time where professional indemnity will be mandatory and where fees will be openly negotiated. That is why it is important for the KTP to be in a position to guide the profession through these changes, and equally important, for all of us to support it in order to achieve this aim. On a more personal note, after serving on Council uninterruptedly for over thirty-two years, I feel that it is more than high time that I make way for others to carry on the work. So following my year as ‘past president’, I shall not be renewing my candidature. I take this opportunity to thank all those with whom I have had the opportunity to share many hours of debate and work for the benefit of the profession, and I wish every success to the incoming and future Councils.
Perit David Pace David Felice, who, I am proud to say, was a member on the ACE Council for the past year. In a sense he has been ‘thrown in at the deep end’ not having had any contact with ACE apart from an indirect involvement through the European Forum for Architectural Policy. I am sure that this experience has also ‘converted’ him as to the importance of such links, and has given him the opportunity to develop contacts which will certainly be of use to him and the Council over the coming months. The message that emerged from the Assembly was quite clear. The profession is under attack as a result of the prevailing mentality of applying a ‘commercial’ value to all production, including that of an artistic/ cultural value such as architecture. At the same time however the profession has to prove itself in terms of quality of service, which includes the implementation of a strong code of ethics and evidence of continued learning. It will not be long before we too will have to adapt to a situation where the warrant will no
Editor’s Note: On behalf of the Council and members of the Kamra tal-Periti, I take this opportunity to thank David Pace for his invaluable contribution to the KTP, its members and the profession over the past years. Although his contribution to the profession will certainly not stop here, since he will serve as KTP Past President for one more year, as well as General Secretary of UMAR for the period 2006/2009, his involvement will be less intense than it has been in the past. During his years as President and as Council member he has worked hard to raise the profile of the Kamra both locally and abroad, and the results of this commitment can certainly be seen and felt today. I am sure to express the thoughts of all members of the profession by wishing David a good “retirement” from KTP, and hope that he will now have more time to dedicate to his family and other interests.
December 2006
Incoming President
...to another O
ver the past twelve months I was a member, on behalf of the KTP, of the Executive Board of the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), under the leadership of the new president, Jean-Francois Susini of France. My role was vicecoordinator for Culture and Communication, with a direct responsibility as delegate of the ACE on the European Forum of Architectural Policies; I was also in a workgroup for the organisation of a summit on Architecture in Brussels in November 2007, a post I shall be retaining. Ever since I have been vice-president of the KTP, David Pace has been advising me on the potential of our participation in the activities of ACE; on how we may learn from the experience of our colleagues in Europe and how we may also be contributing to the growth of our profession on a pan-European level. There was also much to learn in terms of the organisational strength that this body had steadily formulated and about its workings with its membership. When I got, shall we say, re-involved with the KTP three years ago, my immediate thoughts were to help in addressing those issues which I believed to be critical at that moment in time; namely, how could the KTP - which was clearly an active organisation that lacked resource, be it human or financial - impact on the public perception of the profession and of architecture. The first task, carried out with some degree of success, was to make architecture a more tangible subject for debate, to put it on the national agenda. Efforts like the re-issue of The Architect, a monthly newsletter, the organisation of Business Breakfasts, evening lectures and our own architecture week, went a long way in making new boundaries. Of course, this is not enough, it nearly never is. For the KTP to service a Quality Agenda, it must be seen to perform for its members, the profession, those that make architecture. Norman Foster recently stated that architects,’…have the power of advocacy.’ The issue therefore becomes one of credibility. There can be no more important project than for the KTP to be renewed by the participation of its members in order to generate that process that will create a self-regulated profession for its own benefit and the benefit of the environment, the community and the consumer.
December 2006
Already, this year’s council of the KTP will be notably different than that of previous years; there are no fewer than seven new council members including those outgoing from last year’s council who sought to be re-appointed. This is certainly positive, especially when one takes into account that this council will see a healthy mix between young and not so young members, a balance between those with an architectural and an engineering background, and also members coming from both private and public practice. This coming year will also see the council embark on a new programme, much of it based on the activities with which it is already engaged. It will see a ’reduced’ list of targets, because it is now vitally important that it prioritises its work such that a number of ongoing efforts and projects are concluded. The first of these targets will be an agreed organigram that should go a long way in making the work of the council more efficient and clear to
members. The KTP has to deal with an increasingly growing list of entities and bodies on which it is represented; it also has to work with several other organisations, often in a reactive manner, whose work also has a large impact on the workings of the profession. Already some of these measures are being put into place, such as the creation of a new role, that of Secretary General, European Affairs, to be performed by a non-council member, to enable continuity and to develop the decision that the work of the Kamra cannot be performed solely by those on council. Also, all KTP representatives will now report directly to the chairperson of the relevant Standing Committee. The new council will also be required to focus primarily on issues of Professional Practice – there is urgent need to adjourn and, in some cases, create the legislative and regulatory framework within which the KTP and the profession operate. Much work has already been done in this regard, but it is now time for conclusion and implementation. I am referring here primarily to the Regulations of the KTP, the Code of Ethics, the Tariffs structure, the Professional Indemnity Insurance debate and standard contracts of agreement between client and architect. In parallel, the KTP will continue to develop the concept of an Architecture Centre, which was initiated at the same time as the National Policy on Architecture. Our profession, indeed architecture, needs a home; a place to operate from, a place to provide the public with information, a facility which provides a solid resource base to address the development of our built environment in an adequate manner. The KTP has a direct responsibility towards the profession, the quality of our built and unbuilt, environment and the industry – all matters widely implied in the Kamra’s mission statement. There can be no better way than to conclude this statement than by acclaiming the work carried out by David Pace – not only over the last period of his two – year presidency, but also for the last thirty two years of his participation at council level. It cannot have been easy. His dedication to all matters at the KTP has been an inspiration to all those, like myself, who have had the pleasure to work alongside him.
Perit David Felice
people & projects
Planning Appeals Board
On the 20th November, six new members were appointed to serve on the two Planning Appeals Boards, in accordance with the Development and Planning Act. These were as follows Board A: Dr Ian Spiteri Bailey, LL.D. (Chairperson), Perit Saviour Borg and Perit Conrad Thake; Board B: Dr Doreen Clarke, LL.D. (Chairperson), Perit Patrick Camilleri and Perit Jacques Borg Barthet. Their term is for a period of three years. The Kamra tal-Periti congratulates all six on their appointment.
DISPLAY®
One week after the EU action plan for energy efficiency was accepted, EnergieCités and their partners took the lead and concretely showed how the Buildings Directive may be applied effectively on the ground. The three municipalities of Bristol (UK), Brasov (Romania) and Lille (France) won this year’s DISPLAY “Towards Class A” Award for their exemplary municipal communication strategies contributing to the Display European climate campaign. The Swiss city of Lausanne received the “special jury prize” from the international jury. During the official award ceremony in Riga (Latvia) on the 26th of October, Patrick Lambert, Director of the European Commission’s Intelligent Energy Executive Agency (IEEA), handed over the prizes to the winner cities. The Display “TCA” Award forms part of the European campaign Display which encourages municipalities to make the energy performance of their buildings publicly known. Currently, more than 200 towns and cities are participating in the initiative to reduce water, energy and CO2 values of their buildings. They have already registered more than 4,000 buildings in the on-line calculation tool which generates the informative Display poster. The Display “TCA” Awards were presented at a special ceremony during the 3rd BISE (Better Integration towards Sustainable Energy) Forum in Riga which every year gathers participants from New Member States, Candidate Countries, Western Balkan Countries and Ukraine. The aim of the Forum is to exchange experiences and develop joint strategies to promote sustainable energy and energy efficiency. The Display “TCA” Award is open to all municipalities and local authorities throughout Europe who are members of the Display Campaign. The Award recognises best municipal communication
activities and will raise the awareness of building users about energy and water consumption, as well as the CO2 emissions of public buildings. The next call for applications will be in early 2007 and the information will be available on www. display-campaign.org. The Local Council of Gharb is participating in this program and is exploring new possibilities to implement energy efficiency measures within the locality.
Renewable Energy Sources and Bioclimatic Architecture to shelter People affected by natural Disasters
The Technical Chamber of Greece and the UIA Work Programme on architecture and renewable energy sources (ARES) announced the launch of an international ideas competition that invites architects to develop new construction methods and practices for efficient shells and settlement units that will satisfy the urgent housing needs created by different geographic, topographic, ecological, social, or political crises.
Architects from around the world are invited to submit viable solutions for inhabitants that can be set up quickly and economically, and respect the environment and natural resources. The goal of the competition is to collect innovative ideas and examples of bioclimatic shelter typologies that utilise renewable energy sources and can be exploited in different locations, climates, and cultures. Proposals should seek to generate, on the short and medium term, a vast urban and social restructuring. A total of 70,000 Euro will be awarded to the various winners. The results will be announced in Naples on the occasion of World Habitat Day and the World Day of Architecture 2007. The competition opened on 1 November 2006, and registrations will be accepted until 31 January 2007. Submissions must be sent no later
than 29 June 2007. The competition website is www.arescompetition.com
Ispra Competition
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JCR) in Ispra launched an open international competition via a two stage procedure for the strategic development plan of its site. Conforming to the UNESCO-UIA regulations for international competitions, it was approved by the International Union of Architects. Located in the province of Varese in northern Italy, Ispra is one of the European Commission's most important research sites. Spread over 166 hectares, the Centre hosts three institutes and their services: the Institute for Environment and Sustainability, the Institute for Health and Consumer Protection and the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen.
The Centre is preparing a development strategy for the site with a view to the evolution of its activities aimed at increasing its scientific efficiency, getting greater benefit from its multi-disciplinary character, reducing running costs, improving its image and producing a better working environment for its staff. The competition fits into this framework and the programme concerned the design of the development plan of a new scientific zone of 12 hectares and the creation of four new facilities for biotechnology research, environmental research, security research as well as a multi-purpose meeting facility. The six projects selected for the second stage were presented to the jury. The European Commission ratified the jury's choices and designated the winners: 1st: Architecture Studio, France. 2nd: SAMYN & Partners, Belgium 3rd: A.M. Architetti, Italy 4th: IDOM Ingenieria y Consultoria S.A., Spain 5th: ANSHEN DYER, United Kingdom 6th: ISHIMOTO Europe SRL, Japan-Italy.
Living Steel
Living Steel, a world-wide programme to encourage innovation in the design and construction of habitat, has launched its second international architectural competition for the design of sustainable urban housing units. Architects around the world are invited to submit expressions of interest electronically, until 12 January 2007, on the Living Steel website www.livingsteel.org.
A total of 300,000 Euro in prize-money will be awarded, and finalists will be asked to develop new building concepts for residential units in Brazil, China, and the United Kingdom. The jury will be made-up of Glenn Murcutt (Australia), Charles Correa (India), Jaime Lerner (Brazil), Andrew Ogorzalek (United Kingdom), James Berry (United Kingdom), and Nicholas de Monchaux (USA). This competition adheres to the UNESCOUIA regulations, and has received the support of the International Union of Architects. For further information contact Sheetal Chabra, Project Manager, on Sheetal.chabra@livingsteel.org.
Designer Parking
Following the introduction of the new Park & Ride scheme, with the parking facility based in Blata l-Bajda, it may be pertinent to look at how car parking facilities are being designed elsewhere. In the past, car parks were conceived as
December 2006
New Director NID
Perit Paul Buhagiar has been appointed as the Director of the Network Infrastructure Division (NID) within the ADT (Awtorita’ dwar it-Trasport). He replaces Prof Heinrich Semar who occupied this post for the past two years. The Council of the Kamra tal-Periti congratulates Perit Buhagiar on his appointment. In the past few months, the NID’s human resources were intensified with the employment of a number of field officers as well as a number of young periti. This has resulted in a better management and control of the road projects carried out by the ADT.
Tax on taste
The government’s budget for 2007 may have hit some hard, or may have hardly affected others, or better still may have alleviated the burden of taxes slightly. Thankfully, our government has not yet stumbled on the tax on taste being considered in Ireland. This proposal involves putting a tax value on improvements one might have made to one’s home, on the quality of its design and even on its views. If your home is well designed and December 2006
beautifully located, you will be liable to pay more tax than if you live in a shabby house with horrible views and have made no attempt whatsoever to improve it. Such a tax would hit everyone of whatever income bracket hard simply for trying to make the country a little more attractive. Furthermore it would end up with a counter-effective result: why bother to improve your home if such action leads only to greater taxation? Source: The Guardian
UIA TURIN 2008
After Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, and Istanbul, the world community of architects has a rendezvous in Turin, Italy, on 29 June - 3 July 2008 for the 23rd UIA World Congress. The Lingotto, once the main Fiat factory, converted by Renzo Piano into a convention centre, will host the event. With the theme “Transmitting Architecture” this global platform will explore how architecture communicates and is communicated; it will look at architecture as a transmitter, a vector for urban democracy and civilisation, a means of representation, exchange, and diffusion. The scientific committee, chaired by Leopoldo Freyrie, will define the cultural orientations and scenario according to which the theme will be developed and presented. The CNAPPC (National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects, and Conservators - Italy) will oversee the organisation and management of the congress. Further information can be found at www.uia2008torino.org
UIA and ARCASIA
On 19 September 2006, in Beijing, Gaetan Siew, President of the International Union of Architects (UIA) and Yolanda Reyes, President of the Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA), co-signed a memorandum of understanding intended to enhance cooperation between the two organisations. Within an approach that seeks to ensure complementarity and synergy, the protocol will: - Rationalise the resources of the UIA and
ARCASIA in a framework of pertinent activities on all levels, as mutually agreed by the organisations; - Reinforce the capacity for action of the UIA and ARCASIA toward third parties, where such cooperation will benefit both organisations; - Explore opportunities for joint positioning and/or joint actions in relation to third parties; - Cooperate in lobbying activities if and when appropriate and as mutually agreed; - Maintain reciprocal representation in the working bodies of both organisations; and - Share information of mutual interest. The memorandum of understanding will take effect as soon as it is ratified by the UIA and ARCASIA Councils, for a period of five years, renewable by mutual agreement.
people & projects
dark places filled with sinister shadows and exhaust fumes. Over the past few years, however, some of the best parking areas have been designed and constructed to be more like parking palaces, as architects focus their design creativity on making the inner-city car park an aesthetic contributor to our urban experience. Germany is one of the countries to boast these novel parking garages. The Parkhaus Engelenschanze, designed by Petry-Wittfoht Freier Architekten (a firm that has since evolved into wittfoht architekten, based in Stuttgart), is located in the centre of the city of Münster, not far from the train station. It stands at a corner, surrounded by two hotels, the city's Chamber of Agriculture building, office buildings and shops. The garage comprises four elements: the ribbons of concrete ramps that make up six levels of parking for up to 485 vehicles, the glass cladding that shrouds the ramps, an office for the city's parking authority on the top level, and an inner courtyard that delivers light, air, and tranquil waters to the heart of the garage. The layout of the ramps is somewhat ingenious, with separate up ramps and down ramps that are joined at mid-slope at the center of the garage. Parking is found all along the ramps as they ascend and descend. Source: ArchitectureWeek
VELUX seeks to open a debate, to stimulate reflection and re-think daylight as a crucial and primordial element of architectural design. Focused on the general theme "Light of tomorrow," the aim of this prize is to promote exemplary student projects, rewarding the authors as well as their teachers. The jury was composed of prestigious architects Kengo Kuma (Japan), Róisín Heneghan (Ireland), Omar Rabie (Egypt), Douglas Steidl (USA, out-going AIA President), representing the UIA, Per Olaf Fjeld (Norway, EAAE Vice-President) and Massimo Buccilli, General Manager VELUX Italia. 2037 registrations were received by the organisers, from 496 schools in 92 countries. 557 student teams from 225 schools in 53 countries submitted a project to the jury, which met in Madrid earlier this year. Three prizes and seventeen mentions were awarded. The official awards ceremony was held at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, on 23 October 2006,
GRADUATIONS
The KTP extends its congratulations to all the new graduates of the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering: Angelique Abela, Clyde Abela, Roberta Azzopardi, Alexander Bigeni, Simone Bonavia, Kylie Ann Borg Marks, Christian Buhagiar, Matthew Cachia Caruana, Herman Calleja, Gaston Michel Camilleri, Mariella Camilleri, Karys Caruana, Greta Caruana Smith, Lorraine Cassar, John Cassola, Charlene Chircop, Sandro Cini, Benny Cortis, Stanley Cortis, Angelique Cremona, Ian Critien, Christian Cuschieri, Rebecca Dalli Gonzi, Manuel Darmanin, Matthew Degiorgio, Anna Dora Deguara, George Farrugia, Daphne Marie Fenech, Janice Fenech, Bernard Formosa, Graziella Galea, Melanie Galea, Noel Gauci, Denise Martin, Annemarie Mayo, Karl Micallef, Michelle Micallef, Oriana Micallef, Shawn Micallef, Anne-Marie Mifsud, Maria Mifsud, Marianna Muscat, Daniel Portelli, Dirk Psaila, Edward Sammut, Jonathan Schembri, Justin George Spiteri, Rebecca Spiteri, Andrew Sultana, Daniela Valentino, Bernard Vella, Kurt Vella, Malcolm Xuereb, Analisa Zammit, and Ronald Zammit. We wish you all the best in your career.
VELUX AWARD 2006
Light of tomorrow Launched for the second time, in collaboration with the International Union of Architects and the European Association for Architectural Education, this biennial award is open to students of architecture worldwide. Through this initiative,
in the presence of jury members and numerous personalities amongst whom, Gaétan Siew, UIA President. Participants also had the opportunity of assisting at the departure of the around the world solo race, VELUX 5 Oceans. The first prize went to “A museum of photography” by student Louise Grønlund and her tutor Kjeld Vindum of the School of Architecture at the Royal Academy of fine Arts (Denmark). Second prize was awarded to the project “Reading place in the forest” by Gonzalo Pardo and tutor Atxu Amman of the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (Spain). The project “Light invisible bridges” by Anastasia Karandinou and her tutor Dorian Wiszniewski of the School of Arts, Culture, Environment and Architecture of the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) was awarded third prize. The winning projects and all submissions can be viewed on the competition website www.velux.com/A
people & projects
Nuragic and Contemporary Art Museum
Argotti Gardens
Zaha Hadid Architects has won a prestigious international competition to design the new Nuragic and Contemporary Art Museum in Cagliari, Italy. Envisioned as a project to be completed in three phases, the structure will cover some12,000 square metres, comprised of Nuragic and Contemporary Art exhibition spaces, a library, a congress hall, offices and retail space. The aim of the project is to create a node of cultural exchanges that can simultaneously serve as a landmark announcing the arrival to Cagliari from the sea, and answer the five challenges proposed by the brief. Through the interconnection
of the inner circulation with the public paths and the alternation of open spaces and cavities, the building shares its public dimension with the city. Moreover, it geometrically aligns along the axis of the sea, and extends its arms towards the quarter and the stadium of S. Elia, connecting and assimilating itself to the site. Source: Zaha Hadid Architects
New Orthophoto Map
The Malta Environment & Planning Authority has issued an updated orthophoto map of the Maltese Islands that has been created from a computer gener-
ated collage of high quality 2004 colour aerial photography. The aerial photos are at 0.25m resolution, with corrections of any geometric distortions due to the camera's position relative to the ground surface, a technical process referred to as 'Orthorectification'. Traditional map elements which include the road network, important buildings and place names have been superimposed on the images. Hard copies of these maps are at a scale of 1:25,000 and are available for sale from the Mapping Shop within MEPA premises.
State of the Construction Industry Report 2005
In early November, the BICC launched the State of Construction Industry Report, providing the construction sector with a snapshot of the performance of the industry. The strategic intent behind the report is to provide a thorough analysis of available statistical information supported by direct response from stakeholders with a view to relay a basis for consultation. A copy of the report may be downloaded from www.bicc.gov.mt
The Argotti Gardens are located on land acquired during the time of Grand Master Manoel Pinto de Fonseca. These botanical gardens were orignally conceived as an “Orto Medico” by Dr Giuseppe Zammit, and were the equivalent of the Physic Gardens that were gaining in popularity throughout Europe at the time. The Villa de Argote is currently undergoing restoration works with the aim that this building be used as a botanical museum in the future. Source: DOI
BUILD UP EXPO
From 6 to 10 February 2007 the architecture and building show BUILD UP EXPO, will be held in Milan, Italy. Dedicated to all the actors in the architecture and building sectors, the show offers a dynamic and innovative concept
directed towards communication and international exchange, a system fair and a global window on the latest processes and materials. Around the theme: United Projects for Building, BUILD UP proposes to expand the building market towards competitive and innovative solutions in the development of cities and territory. More than a simple exhibition, BUILD UP will also be a large world-wide gathering on architecture, an opportunity for debate and for the promotion of quality in the built environment and to which UIA (Union International des Architectes) experts will be invited to participate in the thematic round tables. BUILD UP EXPO will be held in the Fieramilano Exhibition Centre, the most modern and functional exhibition com-
plex, featuring works of the renowned architects Massimiliano Fuksas, Mario Bellini and Dominique Perrault. BUILD UP EXPO expects 50,000 visitors, 500 exhibitors on a surface area of 80,000sqm. For more information and registration visit www.buildupexpo.com
Fortifications
During the opening of the PAGUS 2D Seminar on “The Socio-Economic Value of Historic Fortified Cities,” Minister Ninu Zammit stated that the historic fortifications of Malta constitute one of the main pillars of Malta's built-up physical heritage assets. As architectural monuments, these fortifications document important stages in the Island's history and also illustrate the development of the art and science of military architecture throughout almost four centuries. These bastioned fortifications also form an integral and visual part of the Malta’s landscape. Aware of the importance of these assets, Government will next year embark on a number of restoration and rehabilitation projects, including the restoration of the fortifications of Valletta, Vittoriosa and Mdina, and the Citadel of Gozo. The proposed works will enable large parts of the ramparts to be cleaned, repaired and opened to the public as places of cultural and leisure activities – tourist information centres, museums, cafeterias and vantage panoramic viewpoints of the surrounding harbour landscape. The desired restoration and rehabilitation works, as outlined in all the project proposals, therefore, will serve to give our fortifications greater dignity as historical monuments and, also, allow them to be integrated productively into Malta’s overall tourism product by harnessing their economic and cultural potential.
LetterS On architect Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Niemeyer
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I read with great interest the news reports regarding the marriage of famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (November 20, 2006), one month short of his 99th birthday. Mr Niemeyer's bold modernist designs are an inspiration to all living architects and students. His memoirs entitled The Curves of Time, published by Phaidon Press in 2000, makes for inspirational reading.
Mr Niemeyer in an introductory quote to the book states: "I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein". The design of a number of public
buildings within the modernist city of Brasilia embodies a lot of Mr Niemeyer's free-flowing sculptural designs. One year short of his 100th birthday he is still as active as ever on the international architectural scene. Yours sincerely, Dr Conrad Thake Editor’s Note: This letter was first published in The Times of Malta, November 27, 2006.
YOUR LETTERS Letters from our readership to be considered for publication are most welcome. Letters for inclusion in Issue 40 are to reach tA by the 17th February 2007. Please write to: The Editor, 'the Architect', Kamra tal-Periti, The Professional Centre, Sliema Road, Gzira GZR 06, or send an email to: thearchitect@ktpmalta.com. All contributions will be acknowledged.
December 2006
EU DESK
Celebrating the Everyday Aspects of Architectural Policies By Simone Vella Lenicker
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articipants from all EU Member States and Accession Countries gathered in Helsinki between the 19 and 21 October 2006 on the occasion of the meeting of the European Forum for Architectural Policies (EFAP) and of the international conference “Celebrating the Everyday Aspects of Architectural Policies,” organised in the framework of the official activities of the Finnish Presidency of the EU. These participants included representatives from governments, professional organisations and cultural institutes in the field of architecture. Perit David Felice, then Vice President of the Kamra tal-Periti, attended the event, as member of the Executive Board of the Architect’s Council of Europe (ACE), delegated with responsibility to oversee the events of the Forum. The Forum was established in July 2000 during the French Presidency following a joint initiative of the French Government and Finnish Presidency taken at the end of 1999. It now also avails itself of the support of a formal association of which the KTP is a now a member. During the conference held in Helsinki, the Forum presented a Statement on the importance of architecture as a fundamental element of Culture and Cultural Policies, in the context of the consultation of the Commission “Culture for Europe – Europe for Culture.” As background input in drafting this Statement, the Forum recalled the Council Resolution on Architectural Quality adopted in 2001 by the Ministers of Culture of the European Union. Furthermore, reference was made to the affirmation by the Council of Ministers that “architecture is a fundamental feature of the history, culture and fabric of life of each of our countries, that it represents an essential means of artistic expression in the daily life of citizens and that it constitutes the heritage of tomorrow,”
December 2006
and that “the cultural dimension and the quality of the physical treatment of space should be taken into account in Community regional and cohesion policies.” The Council of Ministers had further affirmed that “architecture is an intellectual, cultural, artistic and professional activity. Architectural service therefore is a professional service which is both cultural and economic.” The Council had also called on the Commission “to ensure that architectural quality and the specific nature of architectural service are taken into consideration in all its policies, measures and programmes” and “to seek, in consultation with the Member States and in accordance with the rules governing the Structural Funds, ways and means of ensuring in the application of those funds a wider consideration of architectural quality and the conservation of cultural heritage.” During a joint session between the European Forum for Architectural Policies and the 25 EU Ministers of Culture held during the Luxembourg Presidency in June 2005 on the occasion of an Informal Culture Council Meeting, the Forum had presented specific Recommendations to the Ministers, which Recommendations have still not been implemented. The Forum expressed its eagerness to seeing such Recommendations in place. In particular, the Forum recalled its request that architecture should be included in the rolling agenda of the EU Council of Ministers for Culture and Audiovisual. The Forum further noted the strong declarations of President José Manuel Barroso in favour of the cultural dimension of the construction of the European Project, and welcomed the fact that many Member States of the EU have already adopted Architectural Policies and that an increasing number of countries are in the process of adopting such policies. It also recalled the Commission
Staff Working Paper on ‘Cohesion policies and cities: the urban contribution to growth and jobs in the regions’ which stated that “People want (…) attractive and sustainable architecture that locals are proud of.” The Forum further noted the Communication from the Commission to the Council and Parliament on Cohesion policy and cities of July 2006; having regard in particular to the chapter on Culture and to the Guideline for action which states that ”Cities – through a sustainable cultural policy – should promote a vibrant culture based… on the preservation of the architectural and cultural heritage…” and that “an active cultural policy is a valuable tool for building bridges between communities fostering the integration of immigrants and other newcomers to the city.” In the light of all the above, the Forum presented its Statement in the context of the consultation of the Commission on Culture. Herein the Forum welcomed the initiative of the Commission to prepare an official communication on the policy area of Culture and to widely consult on the subject before presenting that communication. It further encouraged the continued adoption and development of architectural policies at national, regional and local level whenever possible as an effective means of adopting holistic and integrated approaches to the quality of the built environment notably in relation to the preservation and improvement of cultural and architectural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, the Forum welcomed the commitment of the architectural profession in the New Member States to address in the context of the implementation of the Structural Funds 2007-2013 the acute challenge of both the housing provision and the rehabilitation of the existing housing stock while improving the quality of the built
environment and further developing their cultural identity and preserving their valuable architectural heritage. It also emphasised the need for reinforced exchanges, co-operation and coordination of activities within relevant frameworks and networks, at local, regional, inter-regional and European level, in particular through the European Forum for Architectural Policies so as to develop and spread best practice. In view of this, the Forum recommended in favour of the appropriate recognition of architecture, urban design and landscape architecture as an essential component of our common European cultural heritage in the planned communication on culture. It also recommended the adoption of architectural policies across the EU to assist in the care and development of both the historic and future built environments, and particularly relating to responses to social and environmental change. The Statement went on to commend the funding of research into the effectiveness of architectural policies and integrated and holistic approaches across the EU in order to develop best practice examples. It also recommended that in the development, management and care of the built environment, solutions must be adopted and implemented that are sustainable, durable and of high quality, and that these criteria must be taken into account when allocating EU Structural Funds. Finally, the Statement tabled by the Forum requests that the Commission takes better account of architecture in its actions and policies concerning the cultural industries, and called on the Commission to give adequate attention to the matters raised in this statement and to recognise the importance of architecture, as a cross-sectoral issue, in future relevant policies of the EU. For further information visit: www.architecture-forum.net
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SACES
A cutting edge industrial park H istory of aviation was always characterised with a search for new limits, be it speed, altitude or efficiency. Space flight, which up to now has only been available to the elite few, will soon be made affordable to many, thanks to the research and investment by multinationals like Virgin. Similarly, further research is being carried out on the use of renewable sources of energy to fuel commercial aircraft, which is being boosted through recent developments in materials research, namely nanotechnology. If such investment could be brought to Malta under one roof, one would not only attract the much sought high end tourist, but also set the island on a reputable plane of research and development. The site opted for the design had hence to be situated in the vicinity of the Malta International Airport, and considering the obliteration of virgin land from the islands, it was proposed to locate the building in a quarry, in the limits of Mqabba, next to one of the airport’s runways. The choice brought along a whole new set of challenges, varying from the environmental per-
formance of buildings in such a situation to the psychological effects of actually working in underground conditions. These initial parameters hence forged a natural basis for conceptual design. The dynamism associated with flight was fused
with the overwhelming authority of the quarry to create an architecture bordering abstraction. These forms were further exploited to craft a space which could visually stimulate the employees, not only by performing as a source of conjecture but
also as a break from the sedentary nature of research. The latter was further enhanced by creating large open pedestrian spaces, where exchange of ideas could take place in an informal setting. The location of such spaces was determined through a series of
shadow studies to select areas which took full advantage of natural sunlight. Moreover, these spaces were segregated from the toils of ongoing traffic by taking advantage of the dramatic changes in levels intrinsic to the quarry. In fact, the access road to the individual buildings was raised at a higher level than that of the quarry. This also provided further flexibility in the layout of the internal spaces, since part of each building was above the road and part of it below it. Initially inspired by works of contemporary neo-avant garde protagonists, the creation of these spatial concepts flourished conveying a new exciting image to industry; expressing the true nature of the aeronautical park. This project inspects the possibility of assimilating both ends the dramatic and the functional, organisation and unpredictability, the static and the dynamic to ultimately set light on a possible architecture of tomorrow. Thesis Project 2005/06 Project team: Alexander Bigeni, Herman Calleja, Dirk Psaila, Bernard Vella Borda
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December 2006
SACES The long awaited SACES workshop finally took place between Friday 13th and Sunday 15th October at the Palace of the General of the Galleys in Vittoriosa. The theme for this year’s workshop was “Morphosis”. Allowing groups to interpret the word in their own way led to varied approaches which were all conceptually valid. The SACES workshop’s main aim is to allow students to exploit their creativity and create a friendly interrelation between the participants and the respective architects – something which most students don’t experience so often. The workshop is a balance between work and fun. Students usually spend the whole day working on their projects and then have their well earned rest. The annual workshop party was organised on Friday night at Caraffa Stores and was a great success with over 300 people from different faculties attending. After two very busy days, students presented their projects to the public on Sunday. The very high standard of work was certainly a factor that stood out in this year’s workshop. Some groups opted for a functional approach to represent Morphosis, while others took a more conceptual route and explored the theme in a different way. Looking at Morphosis as something which entails a transformation and thus may serve a dual function was one way of tackling the project.
December 2006
This methodology was adopted by several groups who produced functional objects with a dual use. One group opted for a cart which could also be adapted into a floating vessel; this project was put to the test and actually did work. Another group produced an armchair which turns into a cooking surface equipped with hob and all. On a lighter note, another group produced a merry go round which could double up as a table that children can use. It is to be noted that all these projects were constructed to a high degree of accuracy, considering the short timeframe which groups had at their disposal. If we were to send a man across a virgin forest with a hacksaw, he probably would cut the weakest branches and stalks in order to open a path as he moves forward to reach his destination. The second time he would probably start from the same point and hack his way forward with ease, carving the route a little bit larger. With time the path would be solidly defined as the route crossing from A to B. The mind works in a similar manner. When a design process has been firmly established it becomes very difficult to alter, since the wider paths will always appear most obvious. One particular group chose to approach the design process systematically in this creative manner, by deliberately choosing dif-
ferent starting points and introducing random stimulus to condition students to re-pattern information. Inspiration can come from various sources - even though projects for the workshop are not site related, some groups did take inspiration from the workspace they were given. General of the Galleys, being an old palace with numerous alterations having taken place over the course of time meant that the whole building was full of interesting spaces. It was these spaces which helped inspire certain groups. After analysing the space allocated to them, one group noticed the leaking skylight in the roof and the shrivelling paint coming off the walls. This may be viewed as a type of morphosis – a gradual change, not a sudden one. They then decided to amplify the effects of this weathering by dividing the space into four sections which could provoke different reactions from the senses, doing so using a variation of materials, from mirrors and drapery to ultraviolet lights and photo luminescent paint. The enclosed spaces inspired a group of students to set up a walkthrough exhibition. They initiated by extracting the constituent elements of the word “morphosis”. Morphology, metamorphosis, morphine and a number of Greek gods of sleep all fall under the idea of dreaming. This
group achieved a change in perception through a maze that was built, which included six different spaces, each giving different individual feelings through the use of ordinary objects set
in an extraordinary surrealist environment, as close as one could get to an actual dream. It was interesting to note the importance given to the acoustic dimension in certain projects, a factor which is usually overlooked by participants. “We are the morhposis”: this statement was the main idea behind a multimedia installation whose principal aim was to demonstrate exactly this. The same inspiration was adopted by another group – morphosis as an ongoing change. The final result was a flexible cube constructed using plastic piping and elastic fabric. A series of pulleys were attached to the sides of the cube and this allowed the user to change the shape. Although not serving any functional purpose, the concept of change was interesting nonetheless. In seeking to create a system that could be broken down into smaller pieces, Tensegrity structures were utilised. Such structures combine tension and integrity to create a rigid support system, comprised of rigid members and tension cables. The solution chosen was a simple tripod, the design of which requires that the three rigid “legs” be tied at their ends in such a way that each rigid member is held up by the other two. Acting as a single truss system, each tripod is limited by the strength of the materials used. By having such a simple means of construction, it is possible to produce large numbers of these modular elements, which are light but strong. The possibilities of such structures allow a morphosis in that if different shapes and forms are used they can serve different functions. I would like to thank all the sponsors, without whom this event would not have been possible. A word of appreciation also goes to the Ministry of Roads and Infrastructure, the Casino di Venezia and the Cottonera Waterfront Consortium. Special thanks goes to Mr. Tonio Hili, Mr. Darrel Pace, Mr. Sandro Bianchi, Mr. Richard Vidal, Mr. Bernard Storace and all the architects involved in this workshop for their continual assistance and co-operation. Mark Muscat
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AGM 2006
AGM 2006 The Annual General Meeting of the Kamra tal-Periti for 2006 was held on the 01 December at the Professional Centre in Gzira. Although the turnout was not overwhelming, all present found it to be an informative one, and a good round up of another year of work by the Kamra. Approval of Minutes The first item on the Agenda was the adoption of the Minutes of the AGM of 2005. These were approved by the AGM, and there were no matters arising out of the Minutes. President’s Report Perit David Pace, who has now “retired” from his work in the KTP (see article on page 6), stated that one of his main aims for his term was to work on the creation of a Documentation Centre / Drawings Collection. In fact the Council has begun to formulate a proposal for the setting up of an Architecture Centre. While still in its infancy, the Council has a clear idea of what this project should encompass, and it is now up to the new Council to take on the ground work and concretise the matter further. Another of the outgoing President’s main aims was to finalise the issue of the Tariffs for periti, and combined with this was
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the tackling of issues such as Professional Indemnity Insurance, a review of the Professional Ethics and the formulation of standard Terms of Engagement. While nothing final has been agreed upon, a lot of work has been done by the Council and the relevant Standing Committees on all these issues, and it is hoped that these can be finalised in the near future. The third of David Pace’s main aims for his term as President was the proposal of a National Policy for Architecture. An ad hoc working group was set up earlier this year to this end, and it is expected that there will be developments on this matter in the year ahead. While not all of the above aims may appear to have been realised, Pace emphasised that all the members of the past Council had worked hard to achieve these ends, and any apparent shortcomings were only due to the time constraints on all involved. In conclusion, he thanked all those who have served on past Councils
and Standing Committees in the past for their work and dedication, and augured the new Council a year of fruitful work ahead. Treasurer’s Report This year, KTP had a turnover of Lm13,000. The income and expenditure account shows a breakeven, where unfortunately no net profits were made. This is probably due to the fact that the number of member subscriptions has drastically decreased. Periti who were members during 2005 have not renewed their membership this year. Nonetheless, we have recorded a total of 40 new members. Honorary Treasurer Perit Alfred Briffa, stressed the importance of member subscriptions as this is the major source revenue for the KTP. Other sources of income this year included the CPD fees and the proceeds from the recent conference on Valuations last month. On the other hand, the KTP has incurred considerable costs on the launch of the National Policy of Architecture, early during the year. One should also mention that the membership fees to the international and European bodies to which the KTP is member are a substantial financial burden.
Standing Committees Built Environment The Chairperson of the Built Environment Standing Committee, Perit Alberto Miceli Farrugia, reported that due to the vast amount of issues that this Committee had to deal with, it was decided to split the Committee into four working groups dealing with Planning Issues, Property Markets, Sustainability and Events. The Planning sub-committee had its hands full with a number of issues related to MEPA, including the Change Implementation Process within MEPA
itself, the regulations on the Use of the FAR and tall buildings, the proposed amendments to DC 2005 and the introduction of the new Local Plans affecting several towns and localities. The Events sub-committee worked to create Architecture Nights, a series of talks by reputed architects from foreign firmsm while the efforts of the Sustainability subcommittee were focussed on monitoring progress on the new regulations for the reduction of energy consumption and the use of non-renewable resources in buildings which, it has been rumoured, are intended to come into force as of January next year. Due to other committments, the Property Markets sub-committee had a rather tranquil year apart from the organisation of the Seminar on Property Development in Eastern European markets. The Built Environment Standing Committee this year also campaigned hard through press releases and articles to have the Qala Primary School spared from partial demolition. Regretfully, its efforts, together with the efforts of all members of the Council, have come to nothing. Communications Perit Danica Mifsud, Chairperson of the Communications Standing Committee, reported on the work carried out this year, which included the coordination of pressreleases issued by the Kamra, the monthly newsletter “KTP News”, the three websites run by the Kamra, the publication of this journal and the organisation of Time for Architecture 2006. A full report on the latter is presented on pages 22-23. Education The Education Standing Committee, chaired by Perit Keith Cole, was pleased to record that relations between KTP and the Faculty, University of Malta have improved considerably over this last year. Both parties appreciate the need for dialogue and
December 2006
International This year the International Standing Committee, chaired by Perit David Pace, had a reduced level of activity due to other commitments resulting from the KTP’s intense programme of events. However, research into possible sources of funding from EU programmes were identified, including the possibility of obtaining funding in relation to the proposal to set up a DOCOMOMO group in Malta (since established). Professional Practice In 2005, the Standing Committee for Professional Practice, chaired by Perit Edgar Rossignaud, had set itself a very optimistic agenda, and had in fact made good progress on the Revised Tariff for Professional Fees, Professional Indemnity cover, and Standard forms of Agreements. For 2006, it was decided to concentrate solely on the issue of a revised scale of fees for periti. A draft document was presented, but was not approved by the members called to attend two EGMs on the matter. An ad hoc committee was set up to discuss this matter, but a concrete proposal has not yet been tabled. Ethics David Pace reported that the Ethics Committee held a total of thirteen meetings during 2006. Besides tackling the backlog of cases still pending from previous years, the Committee investigated a number of cases which were referred to it during 2006. There were a total of 8 new cases in 2006, which shows an increase from the number referred in the previous year. This does not necessarily indicate an increase in unethical conduct by ‘Periti’ but could also be the result of the policy adopted by Council of raising the profile of the profession by informing the public as well as practition-
December 2006
ers of their mutual obligations and rights. Persons who felt aggrieved therefore felt more prone to report the matter and raise a formal complaint. Other Reports A number of other reports were presented to the AGM, by KTP representatives on various boards and organisations, both locally and abroad. Perit Philip Grech reported on the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure Technical Committee Accessibility of Public Spaces. This committee was set up to review existing knowledge and the progress made in the field, identify areas of knowledge bearing direct relevance to our socio economic situation calling for further research, and to recommend ways to promote practical application of this knowledge within the EU budgetary framework. Unfortunately this Committee held no meetings to date. Grech also reported on the Twinning project between the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Austrian Federal Environment Agency regarding “Assistance to explore longterm projects to manage specific waste streams in a more sustainable manner,” which project was reviewed in the last issue of tA. The report from the General Services Board was presented by Perit Alan Saliba, who has recently replaced Perit Joe Genovese who passed away earlier this year. Saliba reported that a number of issues are discussed by this Board, but hardly anything is recorded. He suggested that the KTP should push for these decisions to be documented, and for guidelines to be published that would aid periti in their work. The Kamra tal-Periti is represented on the Council of the Malta Standards Authority’s by Perit Nicholas Samut-Tagliaferro. The MSA’s mission is to effectively co-ordinate standardisation and related activities to meet the needs of the Maltese community in accordance with European and internally recognised standards and practices that enhance economic efficiency and internal competitiveness, and fulfil the community’s demand for consumer protection and for a safe and sustainable environment. Only five meetings were held this year, and the discussions on the agenda were not of direct interest to the profession. Perit Tony Fenech Vella, the KTP’s representative on the User's Committee
reported that the roles of this Committee is to supervise the general functioning of MEPA to ensure that the public’s interest to have a transparent, efficient and just process is respected and to advise the Audit Officer of any changes and improvements needed, as well as to report to the Minister. It is made up of seven member Bodies, including the Federation of Industries, the GRTU, the NGOs, KTP, the Chamber of Commerce and the Local Councils. During 2006 the Committee held nine meetings. The Committee expressed its concern about the public exposure of the breakdown in relations between the internal Audit Office and MEPA which, it opined, would cause only damage and undermining of the whole system of transparency and justice. The Users Committee was involved in the MEPA Change Implementation Team, and was one of the Consulted Bodies for this process. Discussions were also held on the new e-application procedure, where it commended this modern approach whilst exhorting caution for protection of copyright and tampering of documents. Another item on the agenda was to seek a practical solution to the Gozitan periti’s difficulty in coping with Board attendances in Malta. Unfortunately, no concrete proposals from the Gozitan Periti were put forward, and the matter remained at a standstill. Finally, Fenech Vella reported that the Committee was never consulted on the Local Plan proposals nor on the introduction of the rationalisation process. The Committee further agreed with MEPA’s Audit Officer report in that it deemed the lack of public consultation to constitute a failure in the system’s attempts to maintain a correct level of transparency and justice. The report from the Union of Mediterranean Architect (UMAR) was also presented by Perit Fenech Vella. A full report is reproduced on page 24. Perit Lawrence Mintoff reported on his work as the KTP representative on the BICC, stating that the main item on the agenda was the compilation of the State of the Construction Industry report. He also reported on his representation on the Warrants Board. Members from the floor queried about the level of preparedness of those applying for a Warrant, and it was debated whether there needs to be more practical training before one can be granted a Warrant to practice.
Elections The last item on the agenda for the AGM was the election of the new Council for 2007. Due to some misinterpretations of the statute in the past, as well as some anomalies about which version of the statute is actually to be enforced, it transpired that there were seven vacant posts for which nominations would be accepted. As luck would have, there were exactly seven nominations received by the Council prior to the AGM. These were therefore automatically confirmed as members of the new Council. Since there were no nominations for the post of Vice President, the AGM approved a motion that empowered the new Council to nominate one of its own as Vice President. Such person would hold this post until the next AGM, during which he or she will be confirmed as Vice President by a vote from the members. It will also be possible for a member external to Council to contest for this post at the next AGM. Furthermore, it was noted that half of the Council members (five) should be elected on alternating years, with each elected member serving a term of two years. In view of the anomalies mentioned above, it transpires that rather than a five-person election each year we are faced with an election for three posts one year and seven posts the following year (as happened in this election). A motion was therefore proposed an approved whereby the new Council will ask two of its newly-elected members to serve for only one year, following which their post would become vacant. Hence next year’s election will be for five posts of Council members. The new Council was also entrusted with appointed the Honorary Secretary for the coming term. Thus, David Felice, who served as Vice President for the past two years, was confirmed as President for the coming two. Tony Fenech Vella, Danica Mifsud and Antoine Zammit, who were elected last year, will serve for one more year. Keith Cole and Alberto Miceli Farrugia, who served on Council during the past two years, were re-confirmed for the coming term. New members on the Council are Vincent Cassar, Philip Grech, Ruben Sciortino, Malcolm Sullivan, and Damian Vella Lenicker. David Pace will serve for one year as Past President.
AGM 2006
support in matters of mutual interest. One of the main issues under discussion with the Faculty is compliance with EU directives on education and support of the Faculty’s endeavours to improve resources for its educational goals. The exercise to draft an inclusive National Policy for Architecture was also the responsibility of this Committee. The draft Policy shall be circulated to members for their feedback prior to a public release, possibly through a reading in Parliament.
15
BRIDGE
A Bridge for Venice ‘Arquitectum’ is the first International Agency dedicated to organising design competitions in the various parts of the world. Its mission is to promote excellence in design and architectural creativity, giving exposure to architects interested in these kinds of objectives. Its vision not only includes the organisation of private architectural projects but also that of International Idea Competitions that stimulate architects to speculate and to create with the least amount of restrictions possible, in some of the most enigmatic, unique and beautiful settings around the world. For its first Urban Contest, Arquitectum requested proposals for a conceptual design for a combined pedestrian bridge and museum to replace the present-day Accademia Bridge in Venice. All submissions had to be made digitally. The organisers convinced the authorities of Venice to review the winning proposal, and the exhibition and awards ceremony itself took place in Venice, at the IUAV - Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, where it could be appreciated by all architects, authorities, academics, as well as tourists and citizens of Venice up till last October. For this competition, Arquitectum received 484 projects involving more than 1000 architects and teams around the world.
Winning Entries
The first prize was awarded to an Argentinean entry presented by Arch. Manuel Fernandez de Luco, Arch. Marcelo Degiovanni, Arch. Luis Lleonart, Arch. Milena Alessio, Fernanda Cardona, Ariadna Maskiver and Natalia Sosa. The second prize was awarded to Totan Kuzembaev, Danir Saifiulin and Oljas Kuzembaev from Russia. The joint entry by Francisco Caseiro, Diego Calderón,
16
Giacomo Brenna and Sofía Torres Pereira hailing from Portugal, Italy and Mexico was awarded the third prize. There were also nine special mentions. In their comments the jury stated: “The winning project demonstrates with clarity and coherence the idea of an ‘original’
virtue of being an elegant proposal of how to build, for that part of Venice, a ‘magnetic’ and ‘circulatory’ centre at the point where the city is suddenly interrupted. The bridge proposes itself as a ‘plaza of water,’ not only because it crosses the Canal, creating a ‘node’
Venice. Taking as a starting point the pre-Palladian idea (lineal and amphibian) the project tackles the clear and simple proposal of the subject of the ‘inhabited bridge.’ Its simplicity and composite coherence are based on the amphibious idea of the ‘isolated’ city. The city of stone evoked in the Carpaccio painting deals with ‘foundational’ Venice trying to recover the sense of the historic and stylistic of the ‘romantic’ memory. Coherence, simplicity, expressive strength: these are the elemental principals that can be seen in this project strategy. The second project has been rewarded for its strong conceptual sensitivity. It deals with the subject of the ‘fragility’ of the urban Venetian fabric, proposing a transparent building, strongly characterised by its constituent element (glass) and material (or immaterial). The idea of the bridge is interpreted as an imposing surprise: the project challenges the monumental simplicity of the city with ‘the architecture of transparency,’ lightness and reflection. It is a palace of lightweight glass, ‘weightless’ against the water, uniting two worlds without contradicting them and permitting a dialogue. The third project distinguishes itself by
– where the bridge and the museum are continuously fused like a vertex – but also creating, above all, an undulating ring the centre of which devours the city. In this way, through a clean solution, the project manages with a single gesture to unite the water – like a tornado – with the upper part – virtual – of the city.”
the bridge-museum seeks to engage in a synergy-based dialogue between the rich collective memory of the city and a modernist vision that is projected to the future. The design pays homage to the distinctive Venetian artistic culture and makes implicit references to the work of the architect Carlo Scarpa. The materials adopted for the various masses and surfaces vary from a rustcoloured Corton steel sheet cladding, to acid-stained copper surfaces, and golden-brass vertical elements. The diverse collage of metallic surfaces is contrasted with the translucent glazed passageways that flank the assemblage of spaces and volumes. The bridge-museum is treated as a finely crafted object that would serve both as another distinctive urban landmark within the city and also to pay tribute to the city’s unique artistic heritage. All the entries to this competition can be viewed on www.arquitectum.com
Maltese Entry: Design Concept
There was one submission from Malta for this contest, a joint combined effort by architects Richard England, Joe Cassar and Conrad Thake. The architects’ statement described the bridge-museum as a surgical-like insertion that is delicately grafted into the dense historical urban fabric of Venice. On a conceptual level,
December 2006
While many of us will be toasting the arrival of 2007 with a glass of champagne, a team of volunteers will be trekking towards the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The expedition team aims to raise funds for two special reasons. Ondrè Camilleri Gaglione, a member of KTP, will be on that expedition. Here he tells The Architect about the project, its causes, and how you can make a difference too.
Kili
manjaro is a giant stratovolcano in northeastern Tanzania. At the moment it is not active but gas spouts out of the crater at Kibo, the main summit, and magma is just 400 metres below the surface. The first person to reach the summit was the Tanzanian Marangu army scout, Johannes Kinyala Lauwo. He climbed to the top nine times before realising there was a crater, so it must have been very quiet for a long time. According to local legend the last time the volcano erupted was 170 years ago. It has not done so since and I hope it stays that way. There have been many landslides and collapses over the years, but fortunately no new activity is expected. That’s good news for our expedition team because we leave Malta on the 27th December and we expect to reach Uhuru Peak,
December 2006
the highest point on Kilimanjaro, on the 5th of January. When you’re freezing cold and nearly 6km above sea level it’s good to know that the ground won’t move beneath your feet. Getting to Uhuru peak will be rough going. The trek will take us through all kinds of weather conditions. We’ll start out in T-shirts in savannah heat and will end up thickly insulated against the sub-zero temperatures at the top. On the way we will go through rainstorms, up through the clouds and then through icy desert. The trek is physically taxing because the air is so thin at high altitudes that it gets difficult to walk and to breathe. Your heart beats much faster than usual to cope with the lower oxygen levels so sleeping well at night won’t be easy. We don’t expect to do any climbing using ropes and crampons but we will be scrambling up rough tracks at times, especially on the last leg towards the summit. For that we will
leave our camp in pitch darkness at -25C and hope to arrive in time to watch the sun rise over the plains of Tanzania. Our trek back down will take a couple of days and, I’m told by people who have done this before, we’ll sleep for more than half a day afterwards. The usual success rate for any group heading towards Uhuru is 60-70%. The Maltese Kilimanjaro Challenge teams have had a nearly 100% success rate. Our team hopes to set the record at 100% and we have been preparing for this expedition for months. The team is made up of people of different ages, builds and backgrounds, so physical training is important. That means getting up at 6am on a Sunday and walking for hours. It also means long treks on weekday evenings after work, whatever the weather. We’ve now started high altitude training which will carry on until we leave for Tanzania after Christmas. Meanwhile, we’ve all been working hard to raise funds for our causes. We’ll be helping children in Ethiopia to get a badly needed educa-
tion by providing finance to finish, furnish and equip a school building in Bulbula village in the Meki province. The school and the accompanying convent were built with funds raised on previous editions of the Kilimanjaro Challenge project. Our other purpose is to help someone who has become a household name and whose face is now instantly recognisable. Amy Zahra’s story is well known. Since losing her lower legs, thumbs and fingers, her plans for a mechanical engineering degree have had to be put on hold. She’s also had to shelve many other activities a 21-year old would normally take for granted. That’s just for now, though. I met her when our expedition team visited her at home. She hasn’t sat around feeling sorry for herself and is learning to overcome her disability. A rehabilitation programme will give her back her independence. Our expedition team aims to help make that happen by raising funds. We’ve had a lot of support from sponsors and donors and money is still coming in but we still need more. Any amount will help. Several small donations can add up to one very big sum and the collective impact will help change several people’s lives for the better. I joined this project because I wanted the challenge. It’s a chance for me to
Kilimanjaro
Climbing to the top do something different and it’s also a chance for me to help make a difference. Climbing Kilimanjaro will be difficult and demanding, but nowhere near as difficult and demanding as getting to school in rural Ethiopia or learning to walk again. That thought keeps us going. Ondrè Camilleri Gaglione
If you would like to help,
make out a cheque to Kilimanjaro Challenge 3 and post it to Ondrè Camilleri Gaglione at Portico, Flat 14, Mensija Street, St Julians STJ12. Donations of any amount are welcome. The money raised will be passed on to Fr Gorg Grima through Reaching Out Foundation. Fr Grima’s social development organisation, Moviment Missjunarju Gesu fil-Proxxmu, has set up and now runs more than 200 projects in Brazil, Kenya and Ethiopia. Your donation will help Amy Zahra back to normal life and will help provide an education to children who would otherwise have none. Read about KC3 online at www.kilimanjarochallenge3.com
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Property
REAL ESTATE MARKETS’ POTENTIAL IN THE EMERGING EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Proceedings of a conference held on 19.10.2006 By Denis H. Camilleri - Conference Co-ordinator This conference was well attended by a number of people including periti, accountants, estate agents, developers, lawyers and students amongst others. The introduction was given by the President of the Kamra Perit David Pace, who introduced the speakers, welcomed the TEGoVA representative and gave an outline of the work undertaken by the sub-committee over the past years. Keynote speaker valuer Mr. John Hockey, recommended by The European Group of Valuers’ Associations (TEGoVA, www.tegova.org), presented the paper “Valuation: Risk and Uncertainty. Thoughts for home and abroad.” It was outlined that last year’s property gain achieved from the emerging markets varied from 36.6% in Bulgaria, to 30% in Turkey and 20% in Poland. This was compared to 6.74% in the UK, 7.3% in Italy, 7.9% in Greece and up to 12% in Spain (as outlined in the table below). However, the real estate market of Bulgaria is considered presently to have an oversupply of property, letting demand is poor, whilst returns have been reduced by 50%. In Romania the
real estate market is considered more stable over the past 3 years with, however, profit rates having decreased. The flooding threat of the Danube was further referred to. On investing in the emerging markets further points to be considered are the existing corruption due to low salaries noted in the above table enticing bribes, previous state ownership, together with the real demand from the domestic market amongst other matters. It was further specifically mentioned to beware of purchases in Russia. The following speaker, Lawyer Geoffrey Mifsud Farrugia who has hands on experience in the Bulgarian market, dwelt on “Legal Frameworks in the Balkans: Bulgaria – a case study.” The ownership of real estate by foreign nationals / foreign legal entities may not directly acquire ownership rights on land. This restriction however does not apply to a Bulgarian company, irrespective of its percentage share of foreign participation. The legalities of forming a Company were then delved into, with legal and financial advice
being a requisite. With EU accession planned for 2007, the land ownership restriction for EU nationals will be eased over a 7–year period. Land in Bulgaria is defined as regulated and unregulated, with unregulated land not being presently earmarked for development. A good cadastre system is in operation where speculation is being undertaken, whilst preliminary agreement safeguards, as in Malta, are also in place. No VAT is paid on land transfer, but VAT on fees amounts to 20% after discounting taxes and fees mentioned below. Companies carrying out business are liable to a corporate income tax of 15%, whilst withholding tax on capital gains from transfer of shares in Companies amounts to 15%.
COUNTRY
MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE LM/hr
TYPICAL PRICE LM
MINIMUM DEPOSIT
GROSS RENTAL YIELD
CAPITAL GAIN LAST YEAR
RETURN ON CASH INVESTED*
Bulgaria
0.65
31,900
35%
12%
36.6%
105%
5%
Poland
2,05
31,900
30%
7%
20%
61%
2.15%
Turkey
-
38,250
100%
10%
30%
34%
8.15%
INFLATION
UK
10.75
95,600
15%
5.8%
6.74%
43%
2.05%
Italy
9.25
76,500
20%
8%
7.3%
29%
2.27%
Spain
6.50
95,600
20%
8%
12%
49%
3.49%
Greece
5.75
63,700
20%
12%
7.9%
26%
3.49%
Cyprus
4.75
76,500
15%
8%
10%
60%
2.04%
Malta
3.25
75,000
10%
3.75%
17%
170%
2.53%
*The return on cash invested is calculated on the return obtained on the actual amount of personal money fed into the development. In the case of Bulgaria for a minimum deposit of Lm35 for every Lm100 invested, Lm65 may be loaned out, thus the real personal cash flow equates to Lm35 over a year with a capital appreciation given at 36.6%. The Lm100 originally invested are now valued at Lm136.60. The return on capital invested now works out at Lm36.60/Lm35*100 = 105%.
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Tax measures include a 2% stamp duty on purchase, with capital gains tax paid at 15% if the property is sold within 5 years from acquisition. A double tax agreement treaty is in force with Malta. Once a paid tax certificate is in place, liberal regime repatriates after-tax profit and capital. Trusts lawyer Robert D’Alessandro, from CREDALTRUST Management Ltd., introduced Romania as part of his presentation entitled “Managing Central and Eastern European Property Investment Risk via Maltese Trust and Corporate Solutions.” He indicated various safeguards that investors may neglect such as securing title and zoning status of their investment, seeking professional legal advice from top consultants in completing all due diligence procedures including the track-record of the developer, dealing in Euro rather than local currencies, and planning for resale of the investment.
Dr. D’Alessandro noted that Maltese legislation provides one of Europe’s most tax efficient and versatile company and trust solutions offering significant advantages to both Maltese and foreign real estate investors. The Malta solution not only offers the asset protection and tax efficiency of a Malta Investment Structure for purchase of an overseas company owning land, but thanks to Malta’s extensive double tax treaty network the Maltese company doubles as an attractive cost effective international sales vehicle for when an investor wishes to divest.
December 2006
It is estimated that Romania is among the countries worldwide that have attracted the most significant foreign direct investment in the last 12 months and the demand for all types of property is set to rise not only because of EU accession next year. The rapid growth of Bucharest together with the existing limited supply of quality accommodation provides significant opportunities for investment in residential land and developments. Property developer Philip Stapley, a UK national who has lived in Romania for a substantial number of years, provided a supply and demand analysis of property in Bucharest from his perspective as CEO of Investment Solutions Europe, a Maltese company with international investors. Fuelled by a fast growing middle and professional class, as well as a 70% rate of home ownership, in securing the value of already limited available land within the city limits together with the growing demand for improved quality of life by locals and ex-pats alike, has led to a reorientation of the residential developments towards the city’s outskirts. Mr. Stapley then provided a check-list of requirements for both buyers and sellers of real estate in this country, with the downside including a high fragmentation of land, length of acquisition process and lack of cadastre and
December 2006
is undertaking an emerging market, further risks come into play. The points to emphasise include adequate market knowledge and fast moving markets susceptible to a high element of speculation. Occasionally their may be a differentiation between local and overseas buyers. The entry into the EU is possibly pushing up prices in anticipation. In currency conversions, is there a secondary exchange rate which probably applies to the repatriation of sales’ proceeds and can sales proceeds be repatriated? Does an active market for such property exist? If not, calculating fair value by reference to future expected increases in market value, spread over a period, is not permissible. Perit Denis H Camilleri, Conference organiser summed up the conference by delving close to home. A decision should be taken after it is noted that over the past 30 year period there has been in Malta’s real estate market a 7.5% average annual growth on real estate, with the recent immediate 4 year period going into double figure annual growths. Investment in land on the other hand has seen an average 16% annual growth over the past 30 year period. Within Europe the strongest price growth was recorded in central and eastern Europe. The average global house price growth for 2006 stands at 8.5% pa, a slow down from the 2004 peak of 12.3%. The highest growth recorded was in Latvia at 45.3% with the lowest growth of -5.1% in Serbia. The forecast is for continued slowing of average global house price growths with masking in regional hot-spots. Furthermore in Malta, funds may be obtained in the 90% region, which further improves the rate of return obtained on the money invested, as outlined in the table, which quotes a 170% return on cash invested for a 90% loan, with a property capital gain of 17%. This is to be compared with Bulgaria’s return on cash invested at 105% as opposed to capital gain of 30%. If an investor is considering purchasing a Malta holiday home, a 90%
loan is feasible. The Maltese investor after the capital markets’ crash at the turn of the Century has grown wiser in the notion that the higher the yield the higher the risk. However, clients remain return orientated. The client is not happy to hover around the bottom of the performance table because he has a commensurately low level of risk. Competition will not be removed from the market – therefore, RETURN will always be king. It is considered that
Property
registration with initial owners. Banker Alfred Attard from BOV, who heads one of the corporate lending teams, specialising in property developments, then presented "A Banking perspective to financing property development abroad." BOV has a loan portfolio in excess of Lm1 billion, 43% of which go into property development and home loans. The Bank considers the low cost of land in these countries will lead to potential capital appreciation in the short to medium term, as consistent demand exists from investors across Europe to acquire investment property here. The Bank will look into the economic conditions, including the state of the economy, market transparency and level of demand. It will also look at socio-cultural trends, including the perception towards private ownership of real estate, as opposed to commercial ownership. The different jurisdiction may determine whether the real estate market can function effectively, together with a procedure to register a charge over the development as collateral, and finally the costs to procure a local law firm. The Bank will consider financing up to 60% of the total estimated cost of a development project in an emerging country to a known customer with property development experience. The source of repayment should be proven to be generated from the project, with further evidence brought forward that funds are also available locally in a fallback situation. Preferably lending is secured by local assets. Auditor John Zarb, a representative from the Malta Institute of Accountants, presented “Valuation of properties in emerging European markets – An Accountant’s Perspective.” This presentation outlined the various valuation requirements according to the relevant International Accountancy Standards, IAS’s and what is expected of valuers from these accounting clauses, including the valuers’ competence. Here various definitions of open market value arise, according to the present use of premises, but this generally equates to fair value. These rules apply to all markets irrespectively, but when a valuer
due to Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to the EU in January 2007, these countries have an edge over the other emerging countries out of the EU, as the EU recently signalled that it is to slow down its programme for admitting new member states. Thus investors will consider these emerging property markets, but should be well guided by valuers, lawyers, accountants and their bankers amongst others. For those who did not attend the Conference, a CD of papers presented may be purchased for the nominal sum of Lm2.00. Kindly contact the Kamra tal-Periti for further information. Following requests from members, who did not have the opportunity to attend previous CPDs, another CPD course for periti, "Real Estate Valuation Updates - the essential guide forward", is in the pipeline, and will also be organised by the Kamra tal-Periti. Some related websites: www.tegova.org www.rics.org www.government.bg www.bcci.bg www.biba.bg www.investbg.government.bg www.bnb.bg www.bgmaps.com
19
Saving a 17th century tower from collapse Heritage
By Edward Said
T
he Kamra tal-Periti is committed towards our rich architectural heritage, and has featured some of the lesser known historic architectural monuments which are in danger of being lost in this publication. Whether due to negligence, vandalism or simply as a result of nature taking its course, there is a lengthy list of such gems which, if left unattended, will very likely soon cease to exist. The case being reported this season takes us to one of the lesser known reaches of Malta. The coastline between Ricasoli and Żonqor, along the island’s southeast shores, is a veritable open-air museum displaying all manner of military defence structures spanning almost four hundred years of fear of incursion. Most recent are World War II reinforced concrete beach posts, coastal artillery search-light towers and remains of miles of rusting barbed wire. Further inland one finds the Victorian bulwarks of Forts Rinella, St. Rocco and San Leonardo as well as Delle Grazie Battery, all designed to merge covertly into the landscape. The contribution of the Knights of St. John is dominated by the mighty yet crumbling Fort Ricasoli but one should not omit the remains of
Landward elevation showing the only entrance into the tower
20
7 General shot
of the tower; note how the roof-top parapet wall and turret are missing
Close-up view showing the foundation problems
5
The sea-facing elevation showing serious damage casued by sea action
entrenchment walls and fougasse holes. Standing to attention with all these obsolete war machines is a watch tower built as part of a series by Grand Master Martin De Redin (1657-60) between 1658 and 1659. Known today as the Triq il-Wiesgħa tower, it stands alone guarding this vulnerable coastline, its two neighbouring counterparts having long disappeared. As a matter of fact, of De Redin’s thirteen towers scattered along the Maltese coastline, only eight remain, and this figure shall further dwindle to seven if nothing is done soon about this particular one. Triq il-Wiesgħa tower has had a rather chequered history which by the early 1930s left it in a state of ruin. It was totally restored by the end of the 30s, but soon was damaged extensively during World War II and hitherto left to crumble. The proximity of this monument to the open seas took its toll sometime in the
early 1990s when one of the corners of the tower’s base collapsed during a storm. It was only in 2001 that the tower was ranked as one of Malta’s most endangered historical monuments. Nothing however was done about it. In 2004 the government passed on this monument to the Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna (Malta Heritage Trust). Volunteers, mostly architecture students, have recently cleaned out the building. They also carried out an exhaustive historical and architectural appraisal of it. With this in hand, a conservation proposal has been prepared but has revealed that considerable resources need to be invested in protecting the monument from wave action.
Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna is now searching in earnest for individuals or organisations interested in sponsoring the preservation of this monument.
Edward Said graduated as an architect and civil engineer in December 2005. He is currently reading a masters degree in conservation of masonry buildings at the University of Malta. Edward Said sits on the board of trustees of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna (Malta Heritage Trust).
December 2006
The St. Thomas alto rilievo at the Parish Church of St Publius, Floriana By Lisa Attard and Charlene Vella December 2006
Suggestions and requests have been put forward regarding ways in which this work of art can be uncovered, studied, restored, and given the attention it deserves. The relief cannot presently be placed in its proper art historical context, and its iconographic content is not easily decipherable from mere photographs. It is a shame that such situations are left pending, especially when there are possible solutions, and people who are eager to make them happen. The Kamra tal-Periti has luckily obtained photographs of the St Thomas relief from Mr Salvator Mousù. Although photographs can give a glimpse of the significance of this hidden treasure, they can not do justice to the actual relief.
Heritage
W
ithin the Parish Church of St Publius at Floriana, in the left transeptal chapel is an altar relief sculpture dating to the late eighteenth century, executed by a currently unknown sculptor. This image of St Thomas has been described as an inimitable work of art executed in Maltese stone. However, few are those who can verify this statement as it is today hidden behind a painting dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary, after whom the chapel has been rededicated, although the chapel is still referred to by locals as “Ta’ San Tumas”, as are the sacristy and the road behind the church. This, together with a modest image of the saint hanging in the chapel are all that remain in remembrance of the guild of architects and master masons who were once patrons of this chapel. It was in 1770, while the Parish Church was being constructed, that a highly respected and esteemed architect, Giuseppe Bonnici was entrusted with its decoration together with a group of master masons. They agreed to provide a sculptured altarpiece, which was to represent a scene from the life of St Thomas the apostle, their patron saint. They also offered to cover the expenses of the saint’s feast celebrations. This group of master masons had planned to establish this chapel as the centre for their guild, and it is possible that the sacristy, still named after the saint, is where they held their assemblies. When, for some unknown reason, the guild died away, the relief was covered with the presentday painting of the Virgin of the Rosary. It was only during the blitz of April 1942, when the church received a direct hit, that the presence of this altar relief sculpture was rediscovered, revealing its truly overwhelming size and significant artistic quality. Moreover, the titular and the right transeptal wing’s altarpieces were also discovered to have been originally adorned by alto rilievi, this being a unique occurrence in Malta. Sadly only the St Thomas relief survives today. Most unfortunate, however, is the intense damage the work has sustained when many of its protruding parts, including the entire face of the saint, were ruthlessly hacked away, in order to fix the painting in place.
Bibliography: Dr. Eugene F Montanaro, LL.D, L-Imgħallmin fis-Sengħa tal-Bini u l-Altar ta’ San Tumas fil-Kinsja ta’ San Publiju, Parrocca San Publiju. Lisa Attard is a final year BA (Hons) student in History of Art in the Art Programme of the University of Malta, while Charlene Vella is a M.A. candidate in History of Art in the Art Programme of the University of Malta, specialising in Malta as an artistic frontier region between Western Europe and North Africa in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The authors would like to thank Mr Salvator Mousù for providing both written and photographic documentation.
Editor’s Note: This article was instigated by a report prepared by Perit Tony Fenech Vella wherein he states that “The relevance of this sculpture to the KTP, and hence the interest to embark on this restoration programme, is fundamental as it would establish the Kamra as being first recognised in 1770, and as St Thomas is still the patron Saint of Architects, it would give scope to encourage the celebration of his feast and would also give the opportunity for everyone to admire once again an inestimable work of art.”
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Events
About Architecture...
One of the main aims of the Kamra tal-Periti for 2006 was to place Architecture at the forefront of the national debate, and to expose the public at large to good Architecture. In order to achieve this, the Kamra organised the second edition of Time for Architecture ( T4A2) as well as a new series of events titled Architecture Nights. Both proved to be a success, and attracted a number of people who attended the various activities proposed by the Kamra. Architecture Nights This series of evening talks by local and foreign architects kicked off in August with a presentation by two senior architects and urban designers from Building Design Partnership, a leading and major awardwinning London-based architectural firm boasting over 300 architectural awards to date. This was followed by another talk in September which featured Belgian architect Riet Eeckhout from Llewelyn Davies Yeang, London. The third talk was held in October, with Richard England giving an enthralling overview of his work over the years. The series closed off with a presentation by Simon Erridge, director of Bennets Associates Architects of London, in November. The theme for these sessions was “Identity of Place.” The various speakers discussed the manner in which their projects have created a 'sense of place' and have given
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Brainstorming
ful design and contextually conscious projects in terms of environmental benefits, social promotion and inclusion and economic regeneration. All the Architecture Nights events were held at the Valletta Waterfront and were well attended by members of the profession, students and the general public.
T4A2 Riet Eeckhout delivering her presentation during the September Architecture Night
soulless, disjointed and physically fragmented places a new 'identity.' They also discussed how their buildings have become strong focal points and have given a new identity to the surrounding spaces as well as an identity to the users of the buildings themselves and the urban public realm. The main aim of Architecture Nights was to expose the public to examples of good success-
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Planning stage
The theme for T4A2 was “Cities: Magnets of Hope.” The events centred on the element of the city as a focal point of society, and aimed to delve into aspects of architectural quality in the development of a better quality of life for the inhabitants of the city. Furthermore it was intended to focus on the role of the media in the public’s perception of quality in architecture and our built environment. This year’s Time for Architecture events were slightly different from those held last
Construction begins
Site preparation
year. Some of the events that proved to be a success last year were repeated. Among these was the Children’s Workshop, titled “Formation of a City”. The proposal was based on the idea of the city as a place in which we live, work and play. As a result of these activities the city generates waste, which needs to be treated in some way, and preferably reused. The children participating were split into groups, each of which chose to design one building forming part of a fictitious city – we had a school, an office centre including a post office, houses, a civic centre, a health centre including the most important public toilets, and a church. The materials used to build these components were all waste material and included bits of plastic, cardboard boxes, paper, toilet paper rolls and other interesting odds and ends that the children used to the maximum to create an incredible city full of colour
Works in progress
The church
December 2006
The
Post Office & Housing
The School
December 2006
The Clinic
The Civic Centre
tecture along this street, a representational historical showcase of Valletta’s diverse Baroque architectural heritage. Led by Dr Conrad Thake, the walk took off from the church of Our Lady of Victories and proceeded all the way to the Sacra Infermeria or former hospital of the Knights of the Order of St John. Participants had the opportunity to appreciate the resplendent Baroque facades of churches such as those of Santa Catarina d’Italia, St James church and the Jesuit church, and also those of eighteenth-century palaces such as the Castellania palace and the Municipal palace. Besides the major monumental buildings there are also the infill townhouses and urban spaces which form an integral part of Valletta’s architectural and urban legacy. The Boat Trip, titled “Cities of the Grand Harbour”, was led by Stephen C. Spiteri, who provided an insight into how the fortifications and urban spaces, including also today’s industrial areas, in the Grand Harbour interacted and influenced one another, and continue to do so, thus producing an ever-evolving landscape. It was a glorious sunny day, which contributed to the full enjoyment of this unusual way of experiencing the fortifications that surround the Harbour. These fortifications and spaces are what distinguish the cities and settlements around the Harbour, and have in the past played an important role in providing protection and thus a sense of hope to the inhabitants of the islands. Even today, the industrial and maritime activity generated in the Harbour is of vital importance to the local economy. Unfortunately one of the planned events
The public toilet
View down one of the streets
Events
and innovative ideas. Thanks to Alison ticular, thanks go to Brendon Muscat, Zammit Endrich who led the workshop, President, and to Chris Zammit who to all the helpers, to all who supplied the designed all this year’s artwork and the materials, and in particular to the Ministry logo. Besides helping out in the general for Rural Affairs and the Environment organisation, SACES had its own events and WasteServ for their collaboration and for the students, namely the exhibition sponsorship. of projects held at the Auberge d’Italie Another event that was repeated this year and the Workshop held at of the General was the film festival. This time round, only of the Galleys in Vittoriosa. Both events two films were shown. The first was “The were a success (see separate write up on Architects,” a finely-drawn portrait of life page 13). in East Berlin in the final days of the Communist regime, with long panning shots of the city's ugly, factorylike public housing. The film depicts this society's grinding down of Daniel Brenner (Kurt Naumann), an idealistic architect in his late thirties who fools himself into thinking that he can counteract the prevailing gloom with a cheerier, more innovative approach. The second film was “Panorama 2004 – Maison Cinema,” a collage of extracts from various films on the theme of residential architecture and interiors. Walk along Merchants Street These extracts come from the likes of films by Dino Risi, Federico Fellini, A Business Breakfast was also held this Pier Paolo Pasolini, Woody Allen, Stanley year. Albert Sieverdink, Partner Assurance Kubrick, and Peter Greenway to name PricewaterhouseCoopers Netherlands, but a few. This project aims to expose and chairman of the sectorgroup the public to the fundamental imporProvinces, Waterboards and Cities (PwC) tance of architecture in our everyday in the Netherlands delivered a talk environment, through the medium of focussed on the visionary book “Cities of cinema. Antonio Borghi, author of the the Future – Global Competition, Local documentary, was present for the showLeadership” (see review on page 25). ing and explained the philosophy behind Thanks to PricewaterhouseCoopers and his work. Unfortunately this latter event to MediaToday for sponsoring this event. coincided with the Notte Bianca activities, Two new events organised this year were and attendance was poor. the Architecture Walk along Merchants’ SACES were once again involved in the Street and the Boat Trip. The former was an organisation of this year’s events. In paropportunity to learn more about the archi-
had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour. This was the keynote speech, which was meant to be delivered by Reinier de Graaf, partner together with Rem Koolhaas of the Office of Metropolitan Architecture. The event was intended to present the work performed on creating a new image for Europe. The Kamra is still in contact with de Graaf’s office and hopes to be able to present this event some time in 2007. Overall it can be said that all the events were a success. It is pertinent here to thank all those involved in the organisation of all these events. Antoine Zammit, Alberto Miceli Farrugia, William Lewis, Neil Navarro and Alexia Mercieca were the main people behind the organisation of the Architecture Nights events. David Felice, Danica Mifsud, Simone Vella Lenicker, Brendon Muscat, Chris Zammit and Saviour Borg were mainly involved in the organisation of the Time for Architecture 2006 events. Thanks go also to all our sponsors, namely: Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Ministry for Urban Development and Roads, Modern Elegance, Auntie Lucy, Kinetix, MEPA, Volteco, HSBC, Papier Plus, Media Today, Valletta Waterfront and Steel Structures. Particular thanks go to the Minister for Tourism and Culture, Hon Francis Zammit Dimech, who once again was the patron of the T4A2 events.
You can have your say on these events at www.thebluebucket.org. Let us know what events you enjoyed most, what you would like to see more of, and what you think can be improved.
The City
Hurray! A job well done!
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UMAR UMAR
Extraordinary General Assembly 28.10.2006 - Montpellier, France Report by KTP Delegate Tony Fenech Vella
GENERAL This Extraordinary General Assembly was the result of the decision taken at the 12th General Assembly in Hammamet to postpone the election of the Executive Board members to a later date to allow a larger number of members to bring themselves in line and be eligible to vote. At the AGM, only five countries, including Malta, were eligible and this could have possibly not only created an imbalance in representation of the entire Mediterranean basin, but would have also undermined credibility in this fundamental quality of UMAR. Furthermore, this Extraordinary Meeting was also twinned with the inauguration of the exhibition on Fondouks set up by UMAR as its year’s objective, and which is intended to travel and expose the common heritage of the Mediterranean. Malta has also, surprisingly, participated in this exhibition as, thanks to the co-operation of Dr David Mallia and also of Architecture Project, we proposed buildings which, in a sense, carried out the same functions as Fondouks, although not found on any silk road. As the organisers, however, had to choose only one option which they considered closer to the spirit of the Fondouk, they opted for the small Rabat place which is also included in the Exhibition brochure. The Exhibition consisted of prints on plastic sheeting and was set up in the Ecole d’Architecture of Montpellier. It was arranged in a square layout dictated by a pattern drawn on the floor that is reminiscent of the courtyard fashion of a basic Fondouk plan. It was inaugurated on the 27th October by the President of UMAR, Patrice Genet and the Dean of the Faculty. A seminar with some very interesting presentations was held afterwards. Hopefully, the proceedings and papers will be made available in the near future. The exhibition is not only intended to be just a mem-
The Fondouks Exhibition
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The participants at the UMAR General Meeting
ory gallery but purports to illustrate also the variety of Fondouk types, starting off from the micro size of the Rabat-Malta model to the lavish Khan Assad Pacha in Damascus, but also seeks to promote the idea of adapting traditional notions to modern buildings using contemporary idioms. It also includes the work done by UMAR for the promotion of these ideas.
EGM Held in the Chateau de Bionne on the outskirts of Montpellier, this EGM was attended by 15 delegates out of the 18 member countries. Also present was Giancarlo Ius from the UIA Bureau. After the reading and approval of the minutes of the 12th AGM, the Assembly went on to listen to the report by the Treasurer, Giorgio Giani, who informed that the decision taken at Hammamet had borne fruit as practically all countries, with definitely great sacrifice but with a sense of commitment, had brought themselves in line with their arrear payments or had proposed repayment programmes prior to the EGM, except for Israel. It was accepted that some countries such as Mauretania and Albania were not yet in a position to do so. At this point the Israeli representative, Batia Melloul, expressed her Association’s willingness to place a payment on account and also propose a repayment. The gesture was met with approval. This effectively meant that UMAR’s account had for the first time come out from its negative situation to one
where the Association could now aspire to carry out projects at a more intense level and not depend solely on voluntary members’ contributions. As a result, also, twelve countries were now eligible for voting. The Assembly then passed on to the delicate issue of the request by the Turkish Cypriot Association (KTMMOB) to be granted an Observer Status, but after a passionate debate, the voting resulted in a neutral 6-6 stalemate which meant that the proposal was not accepted. Patrice Genet then exposed his ideas about the way UMAR should organise itself in the future, by departing from dispersion in a multitude of workgroups, which sometimes resulted in work being repeated by similar organisations, and focusing on specifically identified and more attainable projects. It would also be better if UMAR could seek co-ordination with other international organisations to unite, share and distribute forces. This approach was supported by Giancarlo Ius in an intervention he made wherein he also promoted the launching of the preparations by Torino for the UIA Assembly in 2008. After a unanimous reconfirmation of Patrice Genet (France) as President, David Pace (Malta) as General Secretary and Giorgio Giani (Italy) as Treasurer, the EGM voted in Michel Barmaki (Lebanon) and Hani AbuDiab (Palestine) as the other 2 Bureau members. The Meeting was concluded by the presentation and confirmation of Catania as the next host of the 13th Assembly in 2007. December 2006
Cities of the Future
for their citizens. The book is split into two main parts. The first section deals with the six different types of capital investigated by the report. These are: 1) Intellectual and social capital – to compete in the international knowledge economy means ensuring the appropriate people, skills and capabilities are developed. 2) Democratic capital – city administrations need to be accountable and transparent in their dialogue with citizens. 3) Culture and leisure capital – a strong city brand provides visibility propelling the city into competition for residents, business relocations, tourism and international events. 4) Environmental capital – cities consume significant resources and have to provide a clean, green and safe environment. 5) Technical capital – technology must be able to sup-
port the changing needs of citizens. This includes basic needs like transport, housing, water and energy as well as new demands for effective communication like broadband and electronic networks. 6) Financial capital – growing demand for services and diminishing revenues needs creative and flexible financial strategies, often in partnership with the private sector. The second part of the report contains interviews with each of the 44 city leaders and managers who took part in this study. They discuss the challenges their cities face – international and national, external and internal – and how they are responding to them, as well as what their plans are for the future. Their responses provide a fascinating and varied account of the vast array of challenges and opportunities that make cities the dynamic environments they are today.
“We need new perspectives on cities, their dreams, knowledge, creativity and motivation in order to find new ways to develop strategic city management. Therefore PwC will develop a new arena for dialogue with leaders in cities as a tool for strategic devel-
opment and knowledge sharing, resulting in added value for people in cities, orgnisations or companies.” A copy of this report can be ordered through the PwC website www.pwc.com.
www.architecture2030.org
www.architectureforhumanity.org
Architecture 2030 was established in 2005 and is sponsored by New Energy Economy, a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organisation. Its mission is to conduct research, and provide information and innovative solutions in the fields of architecture and planning, in an effort to address global climate change. It is supported by a range of individuals, firms and charitable organizations. The website is well laid out and is divided into six main sections namely 2030 ºChallenge, Current Situation, Global Impact, Building Sector, Case Studies and News/Resources. The 2030 ºChallenge asks the global architecture and building community to adopt a number of targets including that all new buildings and developments be designed to use 1/2 the fossil fuel energy they would typically consume (1/2 the country average for that building type). The statistics portrayed by the site are mainly US based. These purport that the building industry in the US is responsible for almost half of greenhouse gas emissions annually. It is further stated that global energy consumption is projected to increase by 54% (230 quadrillion Btu) by the year 2020. This site is easy to navigate and clear in its structure. It contains a good amount of information on the effects of the building industry on the environment. The site offers the possibility for users to sign up for free e-news, and is available in English and Spanish.
Architecture for Humanity is a charitable organisation founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. Through competitions, workshops, educational forums, partnerships with aid organizations and other activities, Architecture for Humanity creates opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need. It believes that where resources and expertise are scarce, innovative, sustainable and collaborative design can make a difference. The organisation caters not only for communities in need but for designers who, as its founder puts it, “want to do more than be CAD monkeys on prestige projects.” The organisation is currently setting up an online Open Architecture Network, which will be a gathering place for community designers and all those interested in improving the built environment. Here, designers of all persuasions can post their projects, browse projects posted by others, comment and review projects, discuss relevant topics, contribute to shared resources, collaborate with each other and access project management tools to support their work. The site features a number of projects in which the organization is involved, as well as a Store section through which one can purchase a range of promotional products. It also includes an interesting list of links to other websites, as well as the opportunity for the public to contribute to the work of this organization by making online donations.
December 2006
books
as individualism and consumerism are increasingly dominant modes of behaviour. Faced with the increasingly global influences that are shaping the way people live and work, cities have to find ways to understand and react to their citizens’ needs and preferences in rapidly changing circumstances. In response to the importance of cities in the global economy, PwC established a City and Local Government Network in 2004. The Network aims to bring together city leaders so that they can share the experience, knowledge and insights that they have gained and to develop their ideas and strategies for the future. This publication is in fact the first report by this Network, wherein it sets out to discover the principle challenges and trends that are influencing city leaders in their strategies for delivering prosperous and socially harmonious environments
websites
As part of the T4A2 events, Albert Sieverdink was the main speaker at a Business Breakfast held at Capua Palace. Sieverdink is Partner Assurance Pr i c e w a t e r h o u s e C o o p e r s Netherlands, and chairman of the sectorgroup Provinces, Waterboards and Cities (PwC) in the Netherlands. His talk focussed on the visionary book “Cities of the Future – Global Competition, Local Leadership.” Many of the challenges and opportunities that are coming to define the early part of the 21st century are at their most visible in the cities, in which a growing proportion of the world’s population now lives. Aside from a city’s physical infrastructure and geographical location, its most obvious characteristic is its people. And there are some significant forces shaping the future of people in all cities. Communities are becoming more fragmented,
reviews
Global Competition, Local Leadership
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international events xxxxx
Until 22 December 2006; RIBA Gallery 1, London, UK
Eric Lyons & Span
This exhibition celebrates the achievement of Eric Lyons in the design of buildings and their integration with their surroundings. www.architecture.com Until 07 January 2007; The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland
Urban Documents
In this exhibition photographer and model maker, Stephen Monger, explores the way buildings have evolved and changed over time. www.thelighthouse.co.uk Until 14 January 2007; Gallery 3, NAI, Netherlands
The Fourth Reconnoiter - Frank Havermans
Architecture is about the creation of space. Artist Frank Havermans (1967) is interested in what space does to people. By manipulating space, he tries to influence the users of that space. www.nai.nl Until January 2007; Victoria and Albert Museum London, UK
Leonardo da Vinci - Experience, Experiment and Design: Exhibition
Until 25 February 2007; Gallery 3, NAI, Netherlands
Neither Town Nor Country
The messy zone of transition zone where city and farmland meet has time and again evaded the customary orderliness of Dutch spatial planning. This exhibition uses maps, drawings and photographs to give viewers an image of the unpredictable ways these spaces tend to develop. www.nai.nl Until 03 March 2007; NLA, London, UK
Legible London
An exhibition about finding your way around the city. www.legiblelondon.info Until 04 March 2007; The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland
Northern City (Between Light and Dark) : Exhibition
This exhibition explores Edinburgh and its light and dark sides through a series of collaborations between Scottishbased architects and artists. www.thelighthouse.co.uk Until 04 March 2007; MAK Gallery, Vienna, Austria
Vertical Garden - Project to Protect the Schindler House, Los Angeles
This exhibition presents the results of an architectural competition for the protection of the Schindler House, an icon of revolutionary modernist architecture. www.mak.at 6-10 February 2007; Milan, Italy
United Projects for Building: Expo
22 February - 28 May 2007; Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK
Alvar Aalto Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban: Exhibition
www.barbican.org.uk/ 4 February - 07 May 2007; The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland
Thinking Inside the Box
Interiors in the 21st Century: New Visions, New Horizons & New Challenges www.thelighthouse.co.uk 11-13 April 2007; Izmir, Turkey
Dancing with Disorder: Design, Discourse & Disaster
7th Annual Conference of the European Academy of Design. http://fadf.ieu.edu.tr/ead07/ 15-18 September 2007; Agia Pelagia, Greece
2nd International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment PALENC 2007 http://palenc2007.conferences.gr/ 17-18 September 2007; Beijing, China
5th International conference on current and future trends in Bridge Design, Construction and Maintenance www.bridgemanagement2007.com
This exhibition is about how Leonardo da Vinci thought on paper. It contains some of his most complex and challenging designs. www.vam.ac.uk Until 11 February 2007; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
On the Threshold: The Changing Face of Housing
This exhibition aims to show, in a time of high demand for new housing, how good design of housing on the outside can foster a sense of community by helping create good neighbourhoods. www.vam.ac.uk
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16–18 October 2007; Stuttgart, Germany One of the largest exhibition initiatives dedicated to the world of Architecture and Building. www.buildupexpo.com
CIB W102 3rd International Conference
"Information and Knowledge Management - Helping the Practitioner in Planning and Building" http://cib-w102.iconda.org/conference2007stuttgart
7–9 February 2007; Milan, Italy
Idols, Gods, Monsters – Metropolis, Cities, Villages, Reasons
First International Conference on the City www.arcaedizioni.it/idolideimostri/uk/index.html
05-10 November 2006; Paris Expo, France
BATIMAT International Building Exhibition 2007
www.batimat.com
December 2006