Any site that lies between two bays has a magical feel to it simply for the sheer natural beauty of the location. Xrobb l-Għaġin on the Delimara peninsula is one such gifted place.
The site, hosting one of Malta's lesser known megalithic temples, and much later used as a British military installation, was later converted to a broadcasting base by Deutsche Welle radio station, but is now defunct. Today the area is undergoing transformation again - this time into a nature park and centre for sustainable living.
Home-grown environmental expertise offered by architects and civil engineers is coming together in one holistic vision, setting an example for what can be done.
With support from the Norwegian financial mechanism and the European Environment Agency, a focal point for environmental education is due to be set up by the end of the year. As one would expect with sustainability, the centre's focus is wide, and will include biodiversity, waste water recycling, renewable energy and conservation of energy in building design.
A typical Mediterranean forest comprising over 15,000 trees sponsored by HSBC is already taking root, harmonising with the natural garigue, which is to form part of the park. Native trees chosen for planting are holm oak, lentisk, Aleppo pine, Mediterranean buckthorn, olive, myrtle, carob and the Mediterranean dwarf fan palm.
The whole of the Delimara peninsula is important for the relatively large number of resident birds that breed there. The summer-flowering Maltese salt tree (xebb) is one of the rare and endangered endemic plants found in this habitat.
Nature Trust is currently producing a guidebook for walks in the area. Nature walks within the extensive site in the midst of beautiful coastal scenery and various historical monuments can be extended to include nearby points of interest previously underestimated on the walking trail.
The Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs has cooperated by providing Parks Department staff to care for the trees, and Works Department employees to help in the restoration works.
The Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion at the University's Faculty of Engineering is also a partner in the project.
Architect and civil engineer Ruben Paul Borg has been involved in drawing up a sustainable rehabilitation strategy. Expert restoration and rehabilitation of buildings with inbuilt energy conservation measures offer strong potential to create a complex of high architectural value.
The process of adapting an existing building to new uses included assessment of defects and testing of materials and structures. The rehabilitation and repair strategy included additions such as shading devices, insulation and sun-pipes, creating natural lighting in windowless corridors to improve energy efficiency. Architect Charmaine Fenech is active in the project's energy conservation aspect being integrated into the buildings' fabric.
Engineers Cyril Spiteri Staines and John Borg have been developing the 'intelligent' use of energy at the centre. The project includes installation of three different technologies of photovoltaic systems (monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin-film) with the aim of carrying out comparative studies.
Data from two types of micro-wind turbines (vertical and horizontal axis) will be logged to monitor and research the different systems.
The project also includes the possibility of having a renewable energy system working independently. Installing a system of intelligent load scheduling would distribute the load more evenly, keeping energy demand down.
The studies will help show how photovoltaics and wind turbines can best be applied to public buildings. Different electricity generating technologies will work side by side to provide experience for a renewables backup system and offer accessible data for study purposes.
The low-lying complex sits comfortably within its environment from an aesthetic viewpoint, even though many repairs and alterations are still needed to convert the buildings to their intended purpose.
A fully-equipped lecture hall, library and visitors' centre will be supplemented by a dormitory, making the centre ideal for conferences, youth camps and exchange visits. This should more than fill the gap left by the demise of Villa Psaigon, a former nature hostel in northwest Malta which has been closed for some time.
Rather than demolish and reconstruct new buildings the approach to this project observes the principle of minimising waste and conserving resources by adapting existing buildings, integrating renewable technologies into the building fabric.
The present structure and materials are being retained wherever this is feasible, to cut down on waste generated and reduce consumption of new resources.
Treating waste water for re-use as a supply for irrigation and flushing of toilets will reduce the centre's demand for water while repairs on an existing reservoir will help make it even more self sustaining. Electricity from renewable sources will provide most of the centre's energy needs.
A natural cave in the chalky sea cliff sends sea spray shooting into the air on a stormy day. Turtles relocated to the proposed rehabilitation centre from present facility at Marsaxlokk will be happy to sense the sea just a few hundred metres below.
Facilities of the project are expected to be completed and become available by the end of this year.