THE GRAND HARBOUR REGENERATION CORPORATION
ADDING 21ST CENTURY DESIGN TO 14TH CENTURY HERITAGE
Finding the right balance between modernizing a city while retaining its historical fabric is a delicate process which is not easy to get right. It often involves adding new structures to parts of cities which have remained essentially untouched for centuries. Ensuring that the new respects the old is essential. This was just one the challenges that faced the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC) in Valletta, the capital of Malta, when it was tasked with redeveloping the city’s harbour area. The mainly baroque city of Valletta was built in the 1500s, and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. Improving on what was already there was going to be a tall order. We recently spoke with Dr Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Chairman at the GHRC about the size of the challenge that confronted them, how the project has been even more successful than anticipated, and the difference it will make to the Maltese tourist industry in the years ahead.
HARBORING BIG IDEAS SINCE 2007 The GHRC itself is a public corporation which has been entrusted with the embellishment and upgrading projects in Valletta and its environs. Established in 2007, GHRC provides contracting and project management services including the design, implementation and certification of works and services - taking on a kind of quality assurance role for the whole project. Investment by the government in the Grand Harbour area was crucial to attracting private investment. As Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi says: “this included the Valletta Waterfront and the Cruise liner terminal, making Malta one of the main attractions for cruise liner tourism and yachting berthing and facilities. Moreover, a number of historical palaces and fortifications have been transformed into unique boutique hotels and cultural venues and museums.” The list of GHRC successes is already long and continues to grow. Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi says: “When GHRC was set-up its main project for implementation was the City Gate project that included a new entrance to the Capital City – Valletta and the building of the New Parliament, the restoration of the
historical open theatre, and the restoration and re-use of the Upper Fort St Elmo.” Whereas, 2017 has been a very busy year for the country, with Malta holding the Presidency of the EU17 bloc for a six month period ending in June,. 2018 shall be a great year with Valletta becoming the EU Capital City of Culture. GHRC projects are scheduled to be delivered in accordance with this, says Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi: “the embellishment and upgrading of open spaces were carried out at Castille Square, situated opposite the Office of the Prime Minister, Triton Square and the Valletta Landfront Ditch. Whereas the latter is still at a work in progress phase, Triton Square will be used for the official opening ceremony on 20th January, 2018, for Valletta as the EU Capital City of Culture.”
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT The scale of the challenge laid out at the outset of this article has meant that GHRC needed to learn quickly. The GHRC Chairman says, that thanks to the experience gained on the project over the last 10 years: “we are in a position to implement a project along its life cycle from design to completion. Moreover, GHRC has started to offer its knowledge in project management to other public corporations leading to the generation of revenue.” This knowledge is also passed downstream, as he acknowledges: “The resources at GHRC
are mostly professional graduates in their late 20s that are supported by experienced officers in architecture, engineering and management. The leadership focus is on team work with space for individual skills and expertise.” A new generation of leaders has thus sprung up as a side effect of these projects. The City Gate project is sustainable in other ways too. For example, respecting the environment and not just the built environment. Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi tells us: “In the case of the New Parliament building, it is a sustainable construction with zero emissions; for heating and cooling energy is used from a system of 40 wells dug a hundred meters below sea level. The roof is carpeted with 600 square meters of photovoltaic panels.” Elsewhere, at the Triton Square project, 20 water reservoirs have been built and these will take around 1,000 cubic meters of rain water. Fifty-two holm oak trees will be planted and around 13,000 square meters of natural stone will be paved.
PARTNERS GHRC has been particularly successful in knowing when to bring in external consultants for certain deliverables. As Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi says: “In the initial 5 years of its set-up, GHRC adopted an approach to subcontract the project management services whilst maintain a contracting, coordination and monitoring role. This experience led to a strategic shift in a capacity building process and more professional resources were recruited in architecture, engineering and project management services.”
The partners called on board to assist with the operation included private contractors, following a tendering process, and public sector bodies. . Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi says: “Three main public entities have been instrumental in facilitating the implementation of our projects; these included Heritage Malta – the national entity responsible for projects related with culture and museums; the Restoration Directorate that specializes in
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of bastions and other historical facades and buildings and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage that monitors and provides guidance on archaeological findings.”
THE FUTURE SHAPED FROM THE PAST The work of GHRC continues apace. It has been appointed as the Contracting Authority to implement the €24 million Regeneration of the Lower Part of Valletta – Marsamxett. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will enable sustainable urban development interventions that will regenerate the lower part of Valletta through a multi-faceted approach that encompasses economic and social elements.
In addition, GHRC is currently involved in the regeneration of Lower Fort St Elmo, the redevelopment of the Schrieber grounds into a health hub, a resource centre and a car parking and garden facility, and the Regeneration of Birzebbuga. Other national projects are being considered for implementation. The Chairman of GHRC concludes that: “GHRC is proud to be involved in these national projects that are adding value to the Capital City, the Grand Harbour area and other areas in Malta. This has been achieved by a small team of specialists at GHRC and the result of teamwork, supported by Government, the Ministry for Tourism and consultations with all stakeholders.” The small European capital of Valletta is being transformed for the better - it’s little wonder he feels such pride at being involved.
GRAND HARBOUR REGENERATION CORPORATION riq Antonio Maurizio Valperga, T Floriana, Malta, FRN 1700 Tel.: +356 2248 2600 https://ghrc.gov.mt
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