AX Holdings will be opening a showroom to the public on Tuesday, hoping that it will explain why this €43 million retirement village is a first for the island.
The village has taken over the site of a cement factory and is split – not only visually but also access-wise – into a retirement village and a residential nursing home.
The village will have 150 units, ranging from studios to penthouses, which will be available for rent for periods ranging from one year up to 50 years. Many have views over the valley and large terraces.
The village offers a number of firsts. Aimed at the elderly – the minimum age for tenants is 60 – over half the extensive grounds are dedicated to the outdoors, with 4km of walkways, landscaping to provide shade, outdoor pools (with a ramp as well as stairs) and even a children’s play area for visiting relatives.
The tenants will have a piano bar and restaurant, a conference room, hairdresser, spa, an indoor pool with retractable roof and a 24/7 medical clinic.
There is even a chapel, designed by group chairman Angelo Xuereb himself, which is surrounded by water, with glass panels behind the crucifix and in the side walls to flood the room with natural light. A room will be dedicated to billiards and snooker, as well as card games, and there is even a boċċi pitch and allotment garden.
The finishes are what you would expect from a five-star hotel and the rooms’ tasteful decor was entrusted to architect Vittorio Bonavia – although tenants can bring their own furniture.
The attention to detail is impressive: the shower controls are at waist height so that they are accessible to wheelchair users and there is a bench at the side of the shower enclosure. There are also emergency pull-cords in all the rooms.
The nursing home has one floor designed with dementia in mind, including access to a separate outdoor area which is more secure.
The project is also being constructed with the environment in mind. The insulated bricks used cost four times normal ones but provide a much higher level of insulation against noise pollution and temperate fluctuations. The site also has an underground tunnel system for water storage which should make it entirely self-sufficient.
“We wanted to offer an exclusive village where people could find not only peace of mind but also a community where they can meet friends, entertain, bring their family to visit and keep busy.
“It is invigorating to see this project taking shape after all these years,” Mr Xuereb said.
“We are investing €54 million in just 16 months between this project, the Suncrest and Luzzu. That is €3.3 million a month. I thought I would be slowing down by 62 but the opposite is true.”