Corporate Village Malta was chosen as the best Smart City Europe project in the Real Estate Awards held in Milan, known also as the Golden Brick Awards, beating off competition from Moscow's $4 billion Metropoliya Business District and the Varyap Meridian in Istanbul.
Malta Enterprise executive chairman Alan Camilleri was presented with the award during a charity gala night at the East End Studios in Milan, where awards were given to the best projects in different categories across the spectrum of European real estate.
Corporate Village Malta will be an architectural icon and a leading landmark energy-efficient building, capable of capturing the aspirations of a nation.
Carrying an investment that is estimated to range between €150 and €200 million, Corporate Village Malta sets out to be the embodiment of the government’s vision 2015+ and intends to achieve the vision of excellence by becoming the focal point within the booming central business district in Malta.
It will serve as the government’s single point of contact for business, with the location of the main regulatory and business support agencies and departments.
The project seeks to respond not only to the government’s strategic vision, but also to the window of opportunity that arises from the demand for high quality office and commercial space in Malta - which is expected to grow as the country develops further and expands its services sector.
Corporate Village Malta is designed to accommodate a broad range of facilities and services designed to promote an optimal working environment and a balanced lifestyle for the users of the facilities and the visitors to the building.
While the government is guaranteeing a minimum occupancy of 30 per cent of the office space in the 130,000 square metre Corporate Village Malta, the project development, operation and marketing will be entrusted to the private sector, whose capital, initiative and expertise are considered to be vital in order to ensure the success and viability of the project.
Other expected tenants include organisations dealing with commerce and trade activities, such as those offering fiduciary services, legal services, brokerage and international trade.
The awards included categories for architecture, initiatives in favour of the environment, as well as best service, best tourism and best consultancy projects, although most categories were reserved to Italian entries. Corporate Village Malta was awarded best project for the creation of future cities built on sustainability and urban integration.
The event, held in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Arts and Culture in aid of the persons affected by the earthquake in L’Aquila last year, was held on the side of the EIRE - Expo Italia Real Estate.
During this EIRE Expo, Malta Enterprise also re-launched the expression of interest for the construction, business development and management of this unique urban regeneration project at an international level and presented the concept of Corporate Village Malta to potential foreign investors.
Following the local unveiling of the project on Saturday, the launch at the EIRE in Milan provided an opportunity to promote Corporate Village Malta amongst the international real estate communities, who meet at this major event to discuss the investment, collaboration and partnership opportunities in their respective countries.
EIRE is considered as a point of reference event for private and public professionals in the business society and attracts a lot of foreign investors, particularly from the Middle East, central and eastern Europe, who participate in presentations specifically designed to highlight new opportunities around the world.
Besides launching the Corporate Village Malta project, Malta Enterprise was also present at the EIRE to promote investment in Malta and give details of the services, schemes and incentives it offers.
It also supported a number of local companies to participate in this expo as part of its assistance for internationalization, whereby it helps companies to take part in specialized events abroad in order to establish a presence or increase their exposure outside Malta, win new customers and seek new partnerships to grow their operations.