Hagar Qim visitor centre

It is heartening to note F.X. Aloisio's change of opinion (The Sunday Times, June 7) regarding the protective shelters erected over the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra prehistoric temples.

To his credit, he acknowledges that his previous criticism of the proposal to cover the temples was misplaced.

Having been involved with the reconstruction of collapses that occurred in 1994 and 1998, and having been co-author of a report to Cabinet in 2000 recommending protective shelters be erected over the four major temple complexes, I would like to add that the biggest gain to the sites is the additional lease of life that the temples have gained, allowing more time to find ways of ensuring the temples' longer-term survival.

I would like to rebut some of Mr Aloisio's criticism of the visitor centre. Let me first clarify my interest: my office was not responsible for the design of the visitor centre, although we helped the Swiss architect Walter Hunziger execute his design.

His comment, "typical modern boxed Maltese structure", is completely off the mark, and an uncalled-for slur on things 'Maltese' and, by extension, on Maltese architects.

The foreign architect for the project was selected after an international design competition with an international jury.

It was also the same jury who strongly advised that the visitor centre not be located in the "unused quarry nearby", and their advice was valid.

The location of the visitor centre in the quarry site would also have resulted in long distances for pedestrians (ca. one km walk to Hagar Qim, and back), and in an approach to the sites from the rear rather than the front. It would also have led to the development of two access points, two parking areas, two points of surveillance, and so on.

Mr Aloisio suggests that the visitor centre should have been one floor lower. This would have been very difficult since the building is a single-storey building. The only reason why it appears to be higher, from the lower parking area, is that the rules that were strictly (and correctly) applied by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage precluded any excavation into the existing rock.

I am not familiar with the Saqqara visitor centre, but my information is that it is much bigger than the one at Hagar Qim. The reference to Stonehenge is a bit mystifying since no visitor centre exists there as yet, and whatever has been on the drawing board has been rather contested by the English heritage authorities.

It is really a fine building, by a very talented architect; and time will prove it.