A New Lease of Life – Johanna Calleja

A new lease of life

JOHANNA CALLEJA

The Malta Chamber building, the Exchange or La Borsa, is the architectural masterpiece of Maltese Architect Giuseppe Bonavia. This unique neo-classical edifice was built purposely to serve as a Chamber of Commerce and completed in 1857.

As with all old buildings maintenance work is required on an ongoing basis. In the last few months this was stepped up and a thorough and comprehensive maintenance and refurbishment project commenced. The works started in October 2021. They are planned with the objective of making the Chamber building green and eco-friendly and to give it a new lease of life. The first priority was making sure that the building was waterproof. The torrential rains last September made it abundantly clear that this was most urgently needed. The vast roof was divided into sections and the most crucial works were carried out first. The parts of the roof identified as priority were cleaned, gaps filled and the roof sealed with liquid membrane. The shafts were also pointed and plastered. The next step was to replace the soffit ceiling in the Malta Chamber’s courtyard. The original glass ceiling was troublesome and had been changed in the 1970s. At the time soffit tiles had been installed and aluminium windows fitted around the perimeter of the courtyard. The soffit had recently been damaged due to water ingress. Once the roof above had been sealed, the soffit was replaced by a seamless gypsum soffit. The aluminium windows and tinted glass were substituted by PVC double-glazed clear windows. The result is better insulation and an increase in natural light. Old air conditioning units, some over 20 years old, are being replaced with eco-friendly VRF systems. These will be commissioned by the end of April, in time for the summer months. The administration office also enjoyed a makeover with new air conditioners, the replacement of the soffit in the mezzanine floor and new laminate flooring. The most visible work and most satisfying work took place in the Sir Agostino Portelli Hall. This beautiful hall lends itself to a variety of events. It is used on a daily basis and is the venue for meetings, seminars, dinners, receptions, exams, lectures and more. The hall was last refurbished in 2002 and was in serious need of a face lift. The hall required fresh paint whilst the original parquet floor had seen better days and water damage meant that it needed some important repair work. The works took the best part of three weeks. The portraits of Past Presidents which adorn the hall were removed and placed in temporary storage. The painting and restoration of the parquet floor was carried out simultaneously. Part of the parquet floor had to be removed and replaced with spare pieces of parquet that were stored at the Malta Chamber. The floor was sanded down to remove layer upon layer of old polish until the original colour was revealed. The walls have been painted a soft yellow and the stucco freshly picked out in white. The hall was completed and the portraits of Past Presidents back in place just in time for the first event which, very appropriately, was the Annual General Meeting. In the next few weeks 53 PV panels will be installed on the courtyard roof. These will result in significant energy and CO2 savings. The pandemic has made us all conscious of the importance of outdoor spaces. For this reason and to further acknowledge its green ambitions the Malta Chamber’s roof will become a green roof. This will serve two purposes – it will provide an attractive space for outdoor activities and will also serve to insulate the roof and further enhance impenetrability. The roof garden will include a bar and toilet facilities and will allow members, for the first time in the Chamber’s history the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent view of Valletta. Further projects are planned. These include the cleaning and redecoration of the façade and the ground floor. n

The hall was last refurbished in 2002 and was in serious need of a face lift.