Piano's plans for Valletta (3)

It appears that Valletta may finally have its main entrance upgraded in a manner befitting a European capital. This at a subdued cost reflecting the present economic state of the nation.

Parliament is being proposed as a zero-rated eco-friendly building with no net CO2 emissions. This will be done via geo-thermal technology by digging deep into Freedom Square's bedrock, installing water-filled pipes and circulating cooled or heated water depending on the season.

Will a life-cycle cost testing be undertaken to approve the feasibility of a zero-rated building, or is Parliament to be tested as a prototype to analyse the efficiency of this system for Malta?

Parking in Valletta is contentious. Two-wheeled transport is a greener alternative to four-wheeled, but the Maltese haven't taken to this kinder sustainable mode of transport. The Main Guard was (rightly) denied an underground car park. However, are studies to be undertaken to consider the feasibility of parking under the proposed sunken garden in Freedom Square?

On completion, Valletta could boast of its civic mile, extending from the bottom of Fort St Elmo past the Phoenicia Hotel. Upgrading of this civic mile could include the provision of boutique hotels, possibly undertaken on public-private partnership initiatives.

The next phase of this civic mile should include the upgrading of the bus terminus, preferably going underground.

An opportunity then arises to sort out the gaping hole of the multi-storey car park. Is it possible for Valletta's opera house, with its underground car park, to be placed here?

It is worth noting that the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh is located towards the end of the Royal Mile.