The Renzo Piano designs for Valletta are beautiful in the harmony created by line and volume. Now that this project is nearing completion, many people who were initially sceptical and dismissive of the whole idea have come to appreciate its qualities.

We should not spoil the impact of this impressive piece of architecture by perpetrating the habit of adding decoration where no decoration is called for. It is a well-known principle of aesthetics that no work of art is ever improved by adding anything to it.

The space created by the massive blocks of stone that are an integral part of the structure should not be cluttered by anything that did not form part of the original design.

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