The building which formerly housed the department of Architecture, within the campus of University of Malta, is considered to be one of the most outstanding examples of modern architecture both within the University complex and the Maltese islands.

It was designed in the late 1960s by British architect, Peter Richardson, who was a member of the teaching staff at the University of Malta. He was entrusted to design a number of new structures on the campus at the request of the late Professor Quentin Hughes, then head of the Department of Architecture.

It is a rare example of a building with ‘Brutalist’ features, a form of Modernism with many critics, as it was often correlated with ‘cold’ angular structures. Buildings of this nature, as is the former department of Architecture building, are often very linear with elements of exposed reinforced concrete. Internationally, the style was initially reserved for government buildings and low rent housing to create functional structures at a low cost. Some architects however, such as Peter Richardson, eventually used the style for functional buildings in university campuses.

In this case, he designed the façade to be serrated allowing it to be opened with vertical windows to admit natural northern light. The buildings’ harshness was softened with the use of local limestone.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority scheduled this building which formerly housed the Department of Architecture as a Grade 2 building.