Building works on 'Metropolis' to begin in third quarter

Jane Clare

Jan 30th 2010, 19:16

A few points to ponder - my online research today indicates that the best rescue ladder in the Maltese Fire Brigade has a maximum reach of 37m. Unless the floors of the 33 storey block at Metropolis are only about 1m high on average (only suitable for midgets), the upper floors will be well out of reach of any fire crew should a disaster occur there. And concrete structures lose strength rapidly during a fire as the twin towers demonstrated so tragically.

Secondly there was a devasting earthquake that killed thousands in Messina, Sicily about a century ago. The fatalities then were with low rise traditional buildings which are fairly resistant to shaking and do not implode like a pack of cards...our memory is short however.

Finally I believe it is normal to place a red light on top of a tall structure as a warning to low flying aircraft - how apt! I am sure that the dozen or so 'girls' of Gzira would move on for far less than the €60M budget proposed for this project. Since the flats are unlikely to sell, it seems a rather expensive solution to a very old problem.

joe Vella

Jan 30th 2010, 14:23

I rather leave my opinion to my self. However a small remark to think about. We are building higher and higher, one might consider it progress. Has anyone taught that we are in an earthquake zone. We can take two years to build the highest building on the island, it can come down in less than 2 minutes if the earth start to shake, and it did in the not too distance past.

Anthony Pace Gouder

Jan 30th 2010, 02:51

@ J C Grech

Thanks to your comment I have discovered what I have been missing over the years!

To make up for this , I will try and spend as much time as possible at THE UPPER BARAKKA and HASTINGS GARDENS . The added benefit is that I will enjoy all this bounty for free . Probably prefering the view from the top of Metropolis , you will wait for quite some time (phasetwo) and go for one of the higher up apartment or sky-villa , to enjoy the view from there in the near future . Best wishes .

Saviour Sam Agius

Jan 30th 2010, 00:12

@J C Grech: apartments will enjoy unobstructed views of our magnificent harbours, Valletta and from the top floors, even the Grand Harbour!! Imagine the view in the evening or at night.....just fabulous!....... dejjem tgergru biss!! mhux ta' b'xejn il-pajjiz imur lura, bin-negattivita` taghkom!!

Of course. How about the view that the neighbours will have? What about the obstructed sunlight in the area?

Bjorn Gouder

Jan 30th 2010, 00:07

@ J C Grech. I totally agree with you, it looks amazing. Stop complaining and being so negative!!!!! who can we move forward....

J. C. Grech

Jan 29th 2010, 20:35

I just saw its website......what a wonderful project!!! Top Italian interior design, apartments will enjoy unobstructed views of our magnificent harbours, Valletta and from the top floors, even the Grand Harbour!! Imagine the view in the evening or at night.....just fabulous!....... dejjem tgergru biss!! mhux ta' b'xejn il-pajjiz imur lura, bin-negattivita` taghkom!!

david vella

Jan 29th 2010, 20:01

Churchill called Malta the unsinkable aircraft carrier! Is that the control tower?????

a attard

Jan 29th 2010, 16:48

What amazes me with the Malta ENVIRONMENT Planning Authority is that the whole project does not seem to have any garden / green space.... in an already highly chocked and polluted area in this North harbour district!....won't be that bad if the old football ground close by would be turned into a tiny park as a breather to compliment the Tiny Marina gardens.........and in return soak off some of the newly generated Carbon emmisions (1000 new cars in the area?!) once the project is fully operational.

J Theuma

Jan 29th 2010, 14:44

Wow!!! It's beautiful!!!!

R. Azzopardi

Jan 29th 2010, 12:15

Had this project involved the ruin of yet more virgin countryside I would have been the first to oppose it however, it is going to be built in what has become one of the most horrible and despicable parts of the Gzira / Sliema / Ta'Xbiex area. It can only augur well. It will hopefully bring some dignity back to these parts.

J.Borg

Jan 29th 2010, 10:55

I don't know if it's me or there are others like me.
Wherever one goes....one sees lots and lots of places for sale...these are old houses and new ones.....
As far as i know the maltese population is decreasing not increasing........so why are we demolishing houses to build apartments instead.......thuse ruining the environment....and still one finds it difficult to sell!!!!!!
I think it's about time that the government and MEPA reviewed the building strategy.........

Anthony Pace Gouder

Jan 29th 2010, 09:59

Without any prejudice regarding the project , I still have reservations for the fact that certainly MEPA regulations for this AREA stipulated / imposed a height limit . Taking the surrounding buildings" ( see picture ) this permitted just 5 floors + penthouse .

Does MEPA apply special concessions or rulings in such circumstances ? Building Regulations also dictate a limited use of materials / finishes to Elevations . Silver , gold aluminium for example is not permitted . An ex-neighbour was forced to replace a STEEL garage door with a WOOD imitation finish!

Elena Schmidt

Jan 29th 2010, 09:10

Wenn people go out of that building,did they have space under their feed?

Joseph A Borg

Jan 29th 2010, 09:01

@ Ganriella Micallef Trigona: what do you want o leave to your rand-children? an island covered in 2-storey urban sprawl and interconnecting roads? Or perhaps a heavily-regulated, almost state-owned building industry where the government owns the property and divides it equitably amongst its citizens? Because the pressure to build is there and the protection of private property is still protected by law.

Something's got to give and the only place we can go is up. My only gripe is that high-rises should be concentrated only in one area for now.

Clive Aquilina Spagnol

Jan 28th 2010, 22:41

@ Paul Smith...Dear Paul...Whilst I fully agree with you, the answer to your quesions is that Maltese business persons in general are an uncreative bunch and do not know how to make make money if not out of the construction business. One does not need to quote statistics, have a look around you. It is very sad indeed.

mario mifsud

Jan 28th 2010, 21:49

dejjem ahjar mil gabubu tal hamiem f'Tigne. Hekk kif jidhru mill-Belt

Leo Azzopardi

Jan 28th 2010, 21:44

To Paul Smith: I thought that Malta's electricity strategy involved a sub-marine cable to Sicily. In any case, I'm not sure that the additional buildings will increase the demand for resources because they won't increase the population of Malta. The apparent belief of many Maltese that the rest of Europe is itching to come and live here, if only there were enough buildings, doesn't seem to tie up with reality. Most foreigners are put off by Malta's many problems (that are documented extensively elsewhere by this newspaper's readers). The additional buildings will probably just exacerbate the property crash when it finally comes.

I find it interesting though that the project has been so delayed, and HSBC are apparently not wholly enthusiastic. One has to wonder if they are having financial difficulties. It seems quite possible that the building will never be completed and buyers will lose their deposits. I would recommend to anyone thinking of living there to wait until it's finished and then buy on the secondary market.

Denis Catania

Jan 28th 2010, 16:39

Although I'm not sure how my fellow residents of Gzira feel about this project, this is a beautiful project. It will be ready just in time to celebrate a Gzira FC premier league championship. Up the Maroons.

C. Farrugia

Jan 28th 2010, 15:02

Besides not seeing this project fitting in the area, only 500 parking spaces???

People who live in the vicinity ALREADY find it a nightmare to park during working hours because of business dotting the area. If one leaves on an errand, or a few hours work, in the morning, there is NO WAY he or she would be able to return and find a spot BEFORE at least 5pm!! So what's going to happen? Will we be paying our licenses BUT would have to leave our cars sitting pretty and use public transport? Since the project incorporates shopping malls and recreations areas it seems like that is going to be, "on the agenda"!

Money is Power..... and the 'normal' citizen is always totally ignored.

M sammut

Jan 28th 2010, 14:43

Finally! This area looks like a right dump as it is, the residents must be tired of living in these surroundings,it` about time to clear the filt and prostituation & re-generate the area... i think the goverment should introduce property taxes on properties which are left in a delapidated state.Prosit to the contractors who took up this challange as the authoritiies and goverment always turned a blind eye with regards to the surroundings these poor residents had to bring up their children in.Mepa should reward these people for cleaning up this horrible area.keep it up!

amifsud

Jan 28th 2010, 14:12

I wake and see this picture and I am very sad......sad that this is happening to our beautiful island.....sad that the government provides for this kind of development which tarnishes the soul of our island....sad that architects in Malta do not want to preserve the Maltese historical beauty, that they feel no guilt in being part of such projects. I cannot understand why the govt/architects/ planners cannot spend their time and money more wisely restoring all the beautiful unused buildings across Malta.
This is horrible. Whenever I see the Portomaso tower I think that and now it's getting worse. Please, please somebody do something to put an end to this.

Robert Borg

Jan 28th 2010, 13:53

@ Paul Smith Extremely well said. Hence the phrase MALTA IS A FUNNY COUNTRY

Paul Smith

Jan 28th 2010, 13:20

Is Malta the new Easter island of the 21st century? On Easter island they cut down the last tree and it was game over - there civilization collapsed. Will you still be building apartments in the sky when you are down to the last drop of potable water, keeping the lights on when oil is $250 a barrel? There are no quick bucks in property anymore, these developers should start to concentrate on green technology industries as that is where the money is in this day and age.

Paul Smith

Jan 28th 2010, 13:08

Now i know that i am going to get flamed for this, but here it goes:
I cannot understand why Malta keeps building these shiny biney ivory towers in the sky which are nothing but a testament to 21st century mans Hubris? Already you are coming up against the limits to growth, you have massive power issues and by the looks of things have opted for oil as a source of energy generation whilst over the next 5 years the oil price will quadruple due to supply constraints. You have major water issues and live in a water stress area. Spain did the same thing, built many apartments that it could not supply water too. Not only that - how many unsold apartments are already on the market. Your population density needs to go down as you are aware you are one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
You talk about sustainability but do the opposite.

Keith Davis

Jan 28th 2010, 13:04

For me taking all this time for construction to kick off, when excavating works were completed months ago is already deemed as starting on the wrong foot, as people especially the Gzira residents are not happy with the current eyesore of the area.
Any further delays will only upset more the people living, working and passing by the area.

Robert Borg

Jan 28th 2010, 12:14

The basic idea is good. but as usual we the Maltese and the Government tackle issues in a funny way.

Malta has become a Funny Country.

Paul Barrett

Jan 28th 2010, 12:08

Good or bad (although I would not live in this nightmare type of tower block if I could possibly afford not to), you can hardly say that it "blends" into the local environment. Just a couple of points though.

1. Have we got the equipment to deal with an emergency - Towering Inferno springs to mind.
2. Will MEPA insist on and ensure that the project has the legally required wells :-)
3. Will it be built with "earthquake resistant" construction rules enforced.

@ J Spiteri - Lateral thinking regarding "the human *businesses*" - it might increase business - more customers LOL.

B. Zammit

Jan 28th 2010, 12:08

@gabriella Micallef-Trigona

If you buy an apartment and leave it to your children and grandchildren in your will, the answer is yes ;)

TBriffa

Jan 28th 2010, 11:35

Probabbli r-ragunament hu "la z-zona hija diga kera daghwa nistghu inkomplu nkerrhuha". There's one of these highrise buildings at the bottom of Paola, across from Addolorata, and it looks so horrible it's unbelievable! And the article mentions "luxury" facilities. I wonder how many people in Malta can afford "luxury" anything. I thought we needed affordable homes for young couples and low-income families. Ah, well, what do I know, I'm only Joe Public after all.....

Anthony Pace Gouder

Jan 28th 2010, 11:28

THIS PROJECT IS ALREADY ONE YEAR BEHIND SCHEDULE, AS THE CONSTRUCTION COMMENCEMENT DATE HAD INDICATED JANUARY 2009 .
AS STATED ,CONSTRUCTION IS TO START IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2010 ( i.e JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER ) THIS CAN BE AS LATE AS THE LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER !
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SETTING TARGET DATES WHEN IN MALTA THESE NEVER MATERIALIZE .

THERE ARE PROJECTS , PRECISELY IN SLIEMA ,THAT ARE AS MUCH AS 10 YEARS LATE . THE INAGURATION DATE WAS SET TO COINCIDE WITH THE NEW MILLENIUM !

A GLARING EXAMPLE IS THE RETURN "SAGA" OF THE SLIEMA W.F.C. AT TIGNE .
THE TRAINING GROUNDS ARE BY FAR OVERDUE MORE THAN 3 YEARS AND THE OCTOBER '09 PROMISE WAS AGAIN NOT HONOURED ! MEANWHILE THE WANDERERS' 'TEAM HAS BEEN WANDERING AROUND , REALLY LIVING UP TO ITS NAME IN ITS 100 YEAR HISTORY !

Joe Azzopardi

Jan 28th 2010, 11:13

I am in favor of this project in principle because:
a) it constitutes development in a committed area rather then spoiling compromised/ undeveloped areas.
b) it shows an effort in the design of the external aspect rather then being the usual monotonous row of windows and balconies.
c)It has a reasonable floor area to the un-built square ratio (which one hope will be accessible to the public).
d)It will regenerate the area (though this is unlikely to benefit of present occupiers of the area. It will more likely push them towards other areas).

It is however obvious that such high rise projects are on the increase and that MEPA is ill equipped, policy wise, to asses such applications. This state of things should be remedied before the new deadlines for the processing of applications become law with the reform.

J. Darmanin

Jan 28th 2010, 11:06

wow, looks really good :-)
however i have just one small concern... only 500 car parking places? its a bit too little for such a gigantic structure

gabriella Micallef-Trigona

Jan 28th 2010, 10:51

HORRIBLE:
Is this what we are going to leave our childrenand grandchildren???????????

Jason Attard

Jan 28th 2010, 10:51

tumbs up to Mepa $ Metropolis!!! some people are just negative!!!

B. Zammit

Jan 28th 2010, 10:50

Better building up than spreading into the remaining countryside. Good luck!

J Spiteri

Jan 28th 2010, 10:32

I'm totally in favor of this development, not only because it's something nice and different for the area, but also because it will surely help ending the human *businesses* in the area and boost renovation !

I. Brincat

Jan 28th 2010, 10:29

Instead of complaining about uncooperative banks, maybe Mr Pace should think twice and realise that the banks in Malta cannot continue to pump money into a property bubble that will explode sooner or later.

Good luck for the investment and development. Just lets hope that people do not end up with burnt fingers.

Christopher Pollard

Jan 28th 2010, 10:02

Sky villa? - surely just a fancy name for an apartment stuck up in the air.

I feel sorry for the people who will end up in the shadow of these high rise or those who will have them as a view.

Nowhere is there anything about insulation, solar heating, alternative power, water use - are there no building regulations? Perhaps the regulations need updating and quickly.

The bottom line is that we don't need any more empty buildings of poor quality - some would say that we don't need any more residential buildings at all.

Chris Finch

Jan 28th 2010, 09:56

Yet another ugly building that is a disgrace to the architecture profession and to Malta.

It is completely unsuited to to its site, the skyline and the local area. It will block sunlight to countless roofs thus making pointless any solar water heaters its neighbours will have. Will the developers be compensating these homeowners for their investment and also the increased bills they will face?

It will also stick out like a sore thumb against the Valetta backdrop - yet another nail in the coffin of Valetta's World Heritage Status.

Again MEPA has completely failed the people of Malta. Lets Hope HSBC manages to block the funding and does the job the MEPA officials are paid to do.

Alfed Demicoli

Jan 28th 2010, 09:29

Another one of these. I am not against high rise, by our standards. but to have such buildings popping up everywhere is outrageous. In other countries such buildings are confined to one place not dotting the country one here and one there.