Let's talk architecture

If I were to make a generic statement, I would say that we do not discuss 'architecture' much in Malta. While planning issues and planning controversies are widely debated, we rarely venture beyond these topics and discuss 'good design' or 'high-quality architecture'.

Furthermore, if and when we do discuss architecture, we tend to look at buildings in isolation rather than considering the wider picture, comprising the spaces that are defined by the buildings themselves. Consequently, we do not view design holistically and adopt an approach that spans from the broader context, through an intermediate level (a neighbourhood, or a building's immediate environs) to the building level itself - what is often referred to as the macro-, midi- and micro-contexts.

Any successful case study will further show that good design is invariably a 'contextual' design: one where buildings and spaces respond to a context - environmental conditions, economic and social circumstances.

The success of a project is therefore, quite naturally, measured and reflected in terms of the latter three phenomena - these incidentally also being the three founding pillars of 'sustainability', which in itself is directly related to an improved 'quality of life'.

We also tend to talk very little about 'quality' in architecture - and about the fact that good design is an investment in a wider sense. Good design of both buildings and spaces provides long-term added value - again from social, economic and environmental viewpoints. At the end of the day, the debate about 'quality of life' necessarily incorporates the notion of 'quality in the built environment', be it natural or man-made.

Thankfully, many people are finally recognising the need for healthy architecture. The recent past has seen numerous letters sent to newspaper editors, public petitions, as well as demonstrations calling for a re-think of our built environment.

It is fantastic that people have become aware of the vital contribution that they can make to this debate and have further become conscious of the fact that they can (and should) have a say in the built environment.

At the same time however it is becoming increasingly crucial for people to be able to make informed and instructive observations about what constitutes 'good architecture'.

Thankfully, too, a plethora of good design, increasingly on a local level but particularly abroad, does exist. Such good design arguably owes its existence to particular and proactive planning structures, institutions and distinct individuals.

Everyone must be exposed to good design because this can very well act as a psychological benchmark against which to examine, criticise or merely observe projects that are being created and developed around us - the wider the scope of one's knowledge, the more fruitful are one's arguments in favour of good design.

This is however only possible if architecture is accessible to everyone and anyone, without distinction. It is in this spirit that the Chamber of Architects (Kamra tal-Periti - KTP) launched, a few months ago, the concept of a National Policy of Architecture (NPA), incorporating the need for a National Architecture Centre in its own right, which would be accessible to everyone.

The NPA, which is currently being drafted, is a rare initiative consisting of a multitude of organisations which, in spite of the possibly different principles and ideals that they may subscribe to, agree on one thing - the need to improve quality in the Maltese built environment and, therefore, the need for better quality architecture and urban design.

As from next month, the KTP shall be taking another important step in encouraging public debate about good design and quality in architecture. For the very first time the KTP will be launching a series of free evening architecture talks, entitled "Architecture Nights", which shall be open to the general public.

Architecture Nights will expose the public (architects and non-architects) to examples of good successful design and contextually conscious projects in terms of environmental benefits, social promotion and inclusion and economic regeneration.

The beautiful setting of the Valletta Waterfront will constitute the venue of these architecture nights, which will comprise a programme of four evening talks by renowned local and international inspiring and creative architects.

The programme is set up in such a way as to explore architectural creativity in depth through its format of a theme, an interviewer and an audience.

The theme chosen to kick off this year's event will be Identity of Place. The various speakers will discuss the manner in which their projects have created a 'sense of place' and have given soulless, disjointed and physically fragmented places a new 'identity'.

They will also discuss 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.

This inevitably means that the speakers will look at different project typologies and discuss various scales, from the macro through to the micro contexts.

The chosen speakers include speakers from three award-winning architectural practices based in the UK together with Malta's Professor Richard England. The series will kick off on Saturday, August 26, with talks by two senior architects and urban designers from Building Design Partnership, a leading and major award-winning London-based architectural firm (boasting over 300 architectural awards to date, www.bdp.co.uk).

Riet Eeckhout from Llewelyn Davies Yeang (www.ldavies.com) will then follow on Saturday, September 16, while Professor Richard England (www.richardengland.com) will host the Thursday, October 12 event. Simon Erridge, director of Bennetts Associates Architects (www.bennettsassociates.com) will bring the series to a close on Saturday, November 4.

Building Design Partnership is an inter-disciplinary firm of professionals in building design, embracing architecture, civil, structural and building services engineering, town planning and urbanism, landscape architecture, interior, product and graphic design, lighting design and acoustics.

The firm will provide some of the best examples of holistic, integrated and contextual design projects and will be represented by two of its leading associates, Kevin Radford and Gergana Draganova.

Qualified both in architecture and in urban design, the two speakers have worked on projects in London, Guangzhou, China, Portugal, Ireland, The Netherlands, Bulgaria and the current celebrated Waterfront City in Melbourne, which shall be presented in detail on the night.

Professor England's debate will coincide with "Time for Architecture", launched last year and which will be held this year once again during the first two weeks of October - a celebration of architecture comprising lectures, architecture films, workshops, exhibitions and installations.

Architecture Nights is not solely intended for architects, architectural students or architectural enthusiasts. Rather, it is specifically aimed at a wider audience and will give the public at large a rare opportunity to hear about renowned projects first hand.

The KTP is doing its utmost to allow everyone to engage in a fruitful and healthy debate about our built environment in the name of good design and high-quality architecture. So come along to the Valletta Waterfront and let's have a good chat on architecture.

Architect Zammit, BE&A (Hons), M.Sc (Lond), is a member of the council of the Chamber of Architects.