Architect defends modern design for new Valletta Hotel

The proposed hotel perched on San Salvatore bastions in Marsamxett consists of two main interventions: the restoration and conversion of the old house (which is typical of Mannerist architecture) into the hotel’s common areas and two, new buildings located on two presently undeveloped sites. The hotel is being proposed by the Valletta local council.

Briffa insists that Valletta only became an urban and architectural gem for the simple reason that its buildings were always innovative for their time.

According to Briffa, every new great building in Valletta was designed to break new ground in terms of its function, style, technology and resources… and this is what makes this city so special.

“Laparelli’s planning was avant-garde for his time… Gerolamo Cassar did not design St John’s Co-Cathedral in the Gothic style, but in the Mannerist style that was ‘ultramodern’ at the time.”

But he regrets that this tradition has been discontinued.

“We have the duty to continue this legacy we have inherited and stop being so quixotically historicist. Valletta’s regeneration is not about turning it into an open-air museum, or a money-draining restoration project, but into a vibrant European capital that embraces reality and improvement for its inhabitants and visitors.”

He also refers to the acceptance of modern architecture in historical landscaped by UNESCO (which is responsible for monitoring world heritage sites like Valletta). He quotes director Francesco Bandarin, who defines a historic urban landscape as “an expression of the change of cultural and social values over the course of time.” 

“In this context, contemporary architecture must be understood as an integral part of the cultural continuation of our historic centers – not buildings frozen in time, but a continuously flourishing environment catering for modern needs.”

One major concern on the project is that it will have a major impact on views from the other side of the harbour. Briffa points out that throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Marsamxett saw particularly acute development as a  number of buildings were demolished to make way for apartment blocks. The old town house earmarked for restoration has escaped this fate, creating an infill site lodged between two much higher buildings.

The new hotel will be built in the only infill site on the entire Marsamxett coast.

“We simply drew a line on the top of the two adjoining buildings, which made the entire roofline – from Biagio Steps to St Paul’s Cathedral – of uniform height.”

By utilising this void, the hotel will have just enough rooms  to be commercially viable, the architect insists.

The main aim of the design is the visual integration with the adjacent buildings and fortifications – particularly when viewed from across the harbour. This required an aesthetic that had to be primarily centered on the use of stone.

“From Sliema and Manoel Island, we imagined prevailing areas of stone and vertically proportioned openings that merge happily with the surrounding windows and the predominant ‘gallarjia’ cityscape.”

The new construction will be physically detached from the old Mattia Preti house through the creation of a pedestrian access to Old Theatre Lane. 

“Glass bridges will link the two buildings above this public walkway, and a glazed back-façade on Old Theatre Lane will introduce the energy of a busy hotel atrium into an otherwise very narrow and dreary alleyway.”

With the site located above the Valletta-Sliema ferry dock, the architect is proposing a public lift accessible from the street but within the hotel’s footprint, connecting Marsamxett Road to the shoreline below, via the existing war shelters within Salvatore Bastion.

“This will provide a mechanical vertical access to guests, visitors and locals arriving from across the harbour.”

The adjacent and currently derelict water polo pitch will also be repaired and converted into the hotel’s lido and beach facilities. But he does not exclude reinstating the presently defunct water polo club.

Ray Bondin expresses concern on hotel design

When contacted by MaltaToday, Ray Bondin, President of the UNESCO’s International Committee on Historic Towns and Villages acknowledged that modern architecture has a place in historical cities but expressed reservations on the design which is being proposed for Mattia Preti Hotel.

“While the use of contemporary architecture is accepted in historical cities, this should be compatible with other buildings and should not clash with its surroundings as was the case with the Law courts building.”

Bondin also argued that since Valletta is a world heritage site, any development of a certain scale which impinges on the city’s architectural fabric has to be notified to UNESCO.

“Personally I would prefer if the building includes traditional features like wooden balconies and doors. One can still have a contemporary design which includes some traditional features.”