Din l-Art Helwa supports concept, has reservations on Parliament height
Renzo Piano's designs for the Valletta's Freedom Square, City Gate and the Opera House site have found the support of heritage group Din l-Art Helwa, which, however, expressed reservations on the proposed height of the Parliament buildings.
"With the entrance to Valletta still in a deplorable state and after more than 60 years of discussion, it is time to move forward," the organisation said adding that these key spaces should start to be enhanced without delay.
"The initial designs show sensitivity to the symbolic ideal that will be retained with the preservation of cultural space within the Opera House ruins. It is also in consonance with Valletta’s fortified status," it said.
Din l-Art Helwa expressed reservations on the height of the proposed Parliament buildings in Freedom Square, as they appeared to intrude upon the vision of the city from outside its walls.
It also said it would like to see the government commission a holistic design for the whole of the entrance to the city, fundamentally the area opposite Freedom Square stretching up to St. John’s Cavalier as well as the Bus Terminus area outside City Gate.
"Only in this way can the whole project be viewed in any future context."
It said that Valletta had much to gain from this project and it looked forward to its early implementation.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090627/local/revealed-the-new-face-of-valletta
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090627/local/the-new-city-gate-and-parliament
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090622/local/renzo-piano-interviewed
The designs are available at:
17 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Carmel Attard
Jul 12th 2009, 02:04
May I ask Where is the GATE in the Plans?? All I see is a GAP a Void and an emptiness!! Wake Up to yourselves. All due Respect to Renzo, where regarding the Opera House and filling the void entering our beautiful City is applaudable.. but regarding the Gate .. May be, he left Space for a Fure Gate which so far no one has come forward with better Plans.. or at least as good as the OLd Gate Was!!!
Carmel Attard Engadine Sydney Belti twelid u Belti 'mmut!
Anne Marie Kissaun
Jul 2nd 2009, 12:01
It seems that the plan for the entrance into Valletta, the Opera House and Parliament has created a great controversy and it seems that a great number of the public are not in agreement with Renzo Piano's architecture, at least not for Valletta which is a World Heritage City. I do not think that he would have even thought about having something like this planned for Rome, so why for our Heritage City. I am very surprised that Heritage Malta are in agreement as, in my opinion, the architecture is nothing close to what the City of Valletta deserves, especially that the height of Parliament building would overlook the arched entrance into the City. It is enough that the buildings on the other side of the entrance are a great eyesore in themselves. I reiterate, let us go back to what the Opera House was all about. AN OPERA HOUSE and not an open theatre as it will not work. The square should be turned into an elegant square in tune with the Opera House, redesign the entrance to give it some resemblance to its original look and Parliament to be rehoused somewhere else, definitely not within the entrance square.
edward camilleri
Jun 30th 2009, 18:33
This is the last site in Valletta where an underground car park can be built, we already lost the main guard car park plus the other parking spaces that are now pedestrian or have been turned into resident parking only. Valletta is becoming another Mdina, a silent city, what is going to happen to the restaurants and coffee shops in the evening, and the hundreds of retail shops?
Kathy Elliot
Jun 30th 2009, 10:50
Din L-Art Helwa should be ashamed. How can they condone something that proposes not one, but TWO breaches in city walls, centuries old! I would very much like to see how any of Mr Piano's compatriots would react if he proposed a bullet-train track passing through the Colusseum, or switching the Fontana di Trevi with a metal monstrosity.
Din L-Art Helwa; please do your work, and at the very least consult Unesco about the matter, since it is a well known fact that ever single stone in the wall is protected, and _cannot_ be removed.
J S Borg
Jun 28th 2009, 22:27
Mr Piano's project is no good for me because from now on I cannot:
'Park my car at freedom square
wash my taxi under the city gate
cannot display my for sale stuff.
drive from the Central Bank to Hastings garden
I would prefer to have a sort of Constantine Gate like the one in Rome full of sculptur, mouldings in all shapes and forms, balavostri going up and down, A huge pedestal with la Valette standing on it .
r sammut
Jun 28th 2009, 21:41
A modern impression of Hagar Qim or what!!! Why want to create open space and then take a Pjazza? The functions of Freedom Square for parking space and as a theatre for carnival, will be lost!
An open air theatre may be a proposal in a less of a hustle and bustle place!
philip pace
Jun 28th 2009, 20:16
To Francesca Abela,
When I visited Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play Everton some years back it was pelting but I didn't get wet.
Don't be ridiculous!
This project is a no go project.
Has to be re thought or scrapped alltogether and goodbye Piano.
WE must have some Maltese Architects who are more sensitive than Mr EGO Piano.
A wall with a breach! What a mad idea!
DR.Gonzi you are losing all the credibilty that you had some 15 months ago!
Carry on with this farce.
h.j.zammit
Jun 28th 2009, 18:16
Is it a city gate , or a city breach ? looks like a bombardment breach for me! what if it starts raining during a performance in the theatre? what if it's biting cold? what about the messy flats and arcades on the side? do we just have to say 'yes' because of the name on the tag attached to these designs? or because it's now or never ?
Galea. L
Jun 28th 2009, 17:49
Carmen Mangion
Jekk tmur tas-Sliema, Paceville ecc tara l-ezempji tal-arkitettute tas-seklu 21. Kaxxi tal-konkos daqs tas-sulfarini li qerdu l-ambjent Malti.
A Callus
Don't be a Humpty Dumpty Callus
N O'Neill
Jun 28th 2009, 17:22
For a few years I used to go regularly to the Shakespeare plays at San Anton Gardens. I gave up going when I found my attention distracted with the various festa's/fireworks or an ear splitting sound from some airplane taking off or landing. Seems as if I won't be attending the Open Theatre in Valetta for more or less the same reasons.
Good for you Ms Abela.I'm pleased to see that you have had some experience of inclement weather,all the better to enable you to enjoy many more sodden days in the future.
I would say' put a roof on it' but a better more earthy expression which you'll forgive would be 'put a sock in it',
alfred camilleri
Jun 28th 2009, 17:20
A fortified city with a breach in the walls is a DEFEATED city. Is this the dignity we want to give to our capital ?
With the road above city gate gone what about traffic circulation in Valletta ? Would traffic cross Republic street at some point? What about the hundreds of parking spaces(Freedom square, the ditch, above city gate) lost? Would our parlamentarians be using the park and ride to attend Parlament? and carnival ? A flawed solutions is no solution at all. Only a massive rethink of the whole project is an option.Having wastedr over 60 years there's no problem wasting a few more. Remember the old Maltese proverb...il-qattusa ghagelija qtattes ghomja taghmel.
A.Eric Camilleri
Carmen Mangion
Jun 28th 2009, 17:04
“Grazzi talli se ddaħħal l-arkitettura Maltija fis-seklu 21.” - il-Periti dalghodu lil Renzo Piano meta saritilhom presentazzjoni dwar il-progetti.
Din l-art helwa ukoll qed tilqa dan il-progett.
Nahseb dawn huma l-esperti li rridu noqghodu fuqhom u mhux xi nofs tuzzana li dejjem kontra kollox li jsir mill-gvern.
A Callus
Jun 28th 2009, 16:54
Dear M Spiteri,
At least the architect has kept in mind the big-headed people of this country and left enough head space for all those who think they know it all when walking into the city!
Valletta is on the way to once again being the most important city in the Mediterranean; it was intended to be and will carry on being so with the hands of the greatest architect of our time.
Galea. L
Jun 28th 2009, 16:53
Francesca Abela
Maybe you didn't but others may.
Its idiotic to have a theatre without a roof since there is so much weather variations.
Perhaps Piano was aware of the dire situation of the country's financial situation and concluded that we cannot afford a roof.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Jun 28th 2009, 16:44
Are Din l-Art Helwa serious?"
"The initial designs show sensitivity to the symbolic ideal that will be retained with the preservation of cultural space within the Opera House ruins. It is also in consonance with Valletta’s fortified status" Can they explain how they reach such a conclusion?
A "symbolic ideal" re the preservation of cultural space within the Opera House ruins. Is literally just a "space" and an open one at that!!
As for "consonance with Valletta’s fortified status" are they referring to Parliament on stilts or to the entrance that looks like a stand at the old trade fair.
Din l-Art Helwa u sa tkun aktar helwa jekk thallu dan il-progett isir!!
Francesca Abela
Jun 28th 2009, 16:20
M. Spiteri, when we visited Edinburgh to watch the Military Tattoo we sat for 2 hours in pelting rain and did not catch cold. We had a great time!
M Spiteri
Jun 28th 2009, 15:50
Well all the honourable members will no doubt enjoy sitting in the open air theater in mid winter watching the spectaculars as the rain belts down on them.I just hope they are of an age which won't do them in and live to see another show the next year. Guess we will be seeing a lot of "Due to unforseen circumstances the show has been cancelled". Just imagine the headlines, Callejja cancels shows for next two weeks due to influenza caught whilst....etc etc.