Revamped architects' journal launch sparks revamp proposal for Architecture faculty

Headline-grabbing statements made by Environment Minister George Pullicino proposed radical reform to the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Malta at a breakfast seminar organised by The Malta Financial and Business Times on Wednesday.

We are producing a generation of architects who not only show a far lower level of ethics than their predecessors, but they are not being taught to use their minds. We are producing robots who build soulless buildings.

These were not Minister Pullicino's exact words but the gist is the same. One answer to solving this failing is to "revamp the architectural faculty from its very roots", Mr Pullicino said.

Strong, provocative words. I shall watch with interest to see whether the oratory will progress into action, or become yet another rhetorical political statement.

It would also be interesting to know whether the Minister of Education, Louis Galea, shares the same views. And whereas there is no doubt that architects in Malta need to take stock, it is, perhaps, unfair to put the onus of the lowering of ethical and creative standards at our young architects' door. After all, some of the new generation of architects have been involved in some of the best recent architectural projects.

The lowering of standards is also a reflection of our society. Architecture mirrors the society it's built for. If our society is pervaded by greed and philistinism, we are likely to have many buildings but precious little architecture.

Besides the houses we live in, the offices we work in and the buildings we walk past all affect us psychologically.

A revamped The Architect, the journal of the Kamra tal-Periti (Chamber of Architects), was launched at the seminar to discuss "A national policy for architecture in Malta". And don't we just need one!

In his introductory speech Architect Lawrence Mintoff, president of the Chamber of Architects, said that the difference between the old and the new journal is that now the chamber is fully involved in its content.

Although I don't remember seeing the old version, the new one is certainly snazzy, has a great layout and interesting content.

Its purpose is to strengthen the links of communication between the members of the chamber, other architects, and the public in general, Mr Mintoff said.

He said that the changes within the building industry are accelerating at a phenomenal rate. "We are using a whole series of new materials, building higher and digging deeper with the accompanying difficulties. And structures are becoming more ambitious and complex," Mr Mintoff said.

David Felice, the editor of the revamped journal, kicked off the discussion by asking "Is it worth it?" - he was referring to a national policy on architecture.

He quoted Quentin Hughes, who 35 years ago wrote: "Malta is a test of whether our generation... is capable of dealing sensitively and intelligently with an environment... or whether it only knows how to exploit such an environment commercially until its charm and character have gone..."

Hughes, who died recently, headed the Faculty of Architecture in the late Sixties.

I would say that we have failed the test. Hughes' words were obviously not heeded because we are still not learning from our mistakes. A few years back I had expressed my concern that we had not learnt from the Tower Road experience where, rather than having a terraced approach down to the coastline with the higher buildings at the back, we have the opposite.

Besides, most of the buildings are concrete boxes, which can only be described as dull, unimaginative and ugly.

My concern was that the same laissez-faire attitude, when it came to aesthetics and creativity, would prevail along the Sliema Strand with more devastating consequences. I had opined that, although the high buildings in Tower Road were blocking the view of the sea, high buildings in the Strand would obliterate, except for the few apartments on the front, the view of the Valletta bastions.

I love walking through the Sliema back streets at the top, and one of the pleasures is reaching a street sloping down to the sea and glimpsing a chunk of the splendid piece of heritage (the bastions). But increasingly a stone wall is replacing this vista.

If one looks down from a roof at the top one can see how the old buildings were built to slope down with the hill. We have reversed that process to the nation's detriment.

At the seminar Minister Pullicino, who is also an architect, directed harsh words at most concerned in the industry "MEPA (Malta Environment and Planning Authority) should pay more attention to the homogeneity of streets... it should encourage individual developers to have a similar façade treatment... rhythm and scale to neighbouring buildings should be retained." And architects were building in accordance with MEPA regulations but not 'architecture'.

I am not sure whether according to MEPA rules all services on roofs should be hidden. But if such a rule exists it is widely ignored.

Mr Pullicino also mentioned that there are over 1,000 buildings, which have ignored MEPA rules. MEPA obviously does not have the resources to monitor all who ignore the rules and this only encourages others to do the same and then when one is made an example of, the victim quite rightly complains of two weights and two measures.

All who break MEPA rules should be heavily fined. This should make some difference. But that is not enough. Architects - among them Labour spokesman (and former minister) Charles Buhagiar and Lawrence Mintoff - complain that so much of their energy is taken up with MEPA applications - reports, impact assessments - and appeals, that there is no time left for creativity.

Maybe the answer is that a number of architectural companies should join forces, employ a number of lawyers or bring them in as partners, and other staff who could just deal with the paperwork, releasing time for creative work.

But MEPA also has to get tougher. For example, Mr Pullicino said, when a house with a front garden is having its basement extended, MEPA only asks that 30 per cent of the garden is retained. He said that was not enough. We need to protect our green spaces and besides, "our buildings are becoming hotter in the summer and colder in the winter, having to rely increasingly rely on air conditioners".

He claimed that architects are not giving enough attention to their buildings and urged developers to realise that they have a duty and a responsibility towards society.

Considering we had earlier heard that developers just want to make a quick buck and they do what they like, it seems like that national policy for architecture is sorely needed.