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Over the forthcoming two weeks, architects, civil engineers and interior designers will be able to submit their projects for the Malta Architect Awards 2016, with submissions being accepted from August 29 to September 2.
These awards were launched early last month by Executive Events and are being supported by the Planning Authority as the primary sponsor, together with Jaguar.
The rules of entry stipulate that in all categories, entries which have been designed by a local architect (a warrant holder) or a group of architects (a partnership of warrant holders), and built outside the Maltese Islands, will be allowed for submission – subject to written confirmation of proof of authorship being presented with the entry.
All projects entered must have been designed by an individual architect or group of architects, except for the Interior Design Award, which is also open to interior designers. The same project may be entered in as many categories as the applicant wishes, as long as it is in line with the specific guidelines for each particular category. Incomplete entries, will not be accepted.
The Award for Rehabilitation and Conservation Projects is open to projects by architects who have worked on rehabilitation and conservation projects. The Award for Public Buildings is open to projects by architects who have worked on public buildings, including theatres, galleries, libraries, visitor centres, civic and religious buildings, shopping centres and offices. The Award for Residential Projects is open to projects by architects who have worked on all forms of residential development, including single residences and large-scale multiple unit residential developments.
The Award for Interior Design Project is open to projects by architects and interior designers, with particular emphasis on the interior of all types of buildings. The Award for Hospitality and Leisure Projects is open to projects by architects who have worked on hospitality projects, tourism accommodation, health and spa centres, sports facilities, leisure centres and entertainment facilities.
The Award for Infrastructure and Engineering Projects is open to projects by civil and structural engineers including roads, bridges, infrastructure, building structures and other innovative projects. The Award for Sustainable Development is open to projects by architects and engineers which have made an outstanding contribution to furthering a sustainable built environment. The Young Architect Award is open to any project (built or non-built) by architects who have been warrant holders since January 1, 2011.
Among other criteria, the judges will be basing their decisions on the basis of evidence of all-round design excellence and fitness for purpose over a body of work.
The Planning Authority’s Planning Board chairman and chairman of the Awards’ Adjudicating Jury, Vincent Cassar, said he was satisfied that the awards carry a number of interesting categories that will surely draw a good number of entries. More importantly, he felt strongly about the category open to young architects. “I am a firm believer that we need to keep providing the young generation of upcoming architects with opportunities that can expose their thoughts, creativity and flexibility,” he said.
The first edition of the Malta Architect Awards for 2016 will take place during an Awards Night at the Mediterranean Conference Centre as part of the Construction, Property and Interiors Expo on September 24.
www.architectawards.com.mt