The Tony Mifsud Architecture Awards organised by the Sliema local council, the University’s Architecture Department and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar were presented earlier this month.

This award aims at making tomorrow’s architects more sensitive to the particular needs of urban conservation and countryside sites, encouraging them to apply their skill to different community issues.

This year’s edition dealt with Villa Bonici in Sliema which was earmarked to accommodate a home for the elderly in the 2006 Local Plans and was subsequently scheduled in 2010.

With the Villa Bonici project, the students faced a triple challenge – that of designing a home for elderly people in an ecological site set in an urban conservation area. This year’s assignments were of a high standard. In fact, seven students received an award, the highest number yet.

The projects presented by Brenda Camilleri, Joe Galea, Nicky Psaila-Savona, Matthew Sciberras, Stephanie Xuereb, Zack Xuereb Conti and Rebecca Zammit all differed considerably; however, all laid great emphasis on retaining the greenery of the site and allowing the public to access Sliema’s last green lung.