What led you to invest in a business centre?
In recent years, it became quite clear that Malta was achieving notable success in attracting blue chip companies to set up financial operations in Malta.
As expected, this meant that the quality of the office space that such internationally active companies would be looking for would tend towards the superior type. It therefore appeared to be a win-win situation for both the island and responsible developers to invest in a top-quality business centre that could offer internationally competitive rates.
What elements were important in designing Aragon House as a top-quality office address?
The objective was to create a congenial working space within a prestigious environment that also benefits from hi-tech building management systems. This meant that we did not compromise on any specifications, particularly those regarding the quality of the structure and the building’s appearance.
Adding tasteful appointments, all business mod-cons and ongoing layout flexibility while also catering for 24/7 business operations in an excellent location is what we feel makes Aragon House superior offering within the top-quality office space sector.
How did you address these elements and particularly, why in the entertainment hub of St Julian’s?
St Julian’s was an obvious choice as Aragon House replaces a building that had housed group offices over a few decades. So no change of use has occurred nor was any felt to be necessary, as over the years, it certainly had not been found to be a disadvantage to be working close to the many restaurants and leisure spots in the immediate area. This is even more so now that new expatriate tenants operate on a 24/7 basis.
Another plus factor is that St Julian’s is within easy reach of the residential areas that seem to be preferred by expatriates locating business activities in Malta.
International companies will also see the advantage in being located so close to and within tourism’s “golden mile”, which has earned that name primarily from the many four- and five-star hotels in the area.
Underground parking for office tenants and their clients is also available in the car park, which is large enough to accommodate even casual public traffic.
To produce a top-quality office space product that could stand up well to comparison with offices available in well-known international localities required thought and effort.
Our company researched all the options available, even personally visiting certain iconic sites. Having then decided to go for what is technically described as a unitised curtain wall façade which provides a building envelope system enclosing the business centre structure, it became a question of making sure that we sourced the right suppliers.
Aragon House’s all-glass façade is its most aesthetically striking and prestigious feature. However, it’s not just good-looking but also very efficient, being an autonomous wall curtain comprised of various demountable components which create an active façade – this is typically equipped with smart glass, a shading system and other technologies designed to optimise energy friendly light transmission, thermal conductivity, and sound attenuation.
All this goes a long way towards providing a congenial working environment. However, we did not stop at that and have also installed a building management system that enables tailored temperature, lighting and access control – together with 24/7 security personnel attendance, this makes Aragon House not just an intelligent building that is nice to work in but also a very safe one. This is reinforced by strict behavioural house rules applicable to, and for the benefit of all tenants.
The outfitting appointments – from suspended ceilings and raised floorings to recommended partitions – are not only of a high technical quality but are also aesthetically pleasant and enhance the feel-good factor for all who work at Aragon House.
Aragon House is outfitted in a way that layouts can be readily altered to satisfy changing needs, with minimum disturbance and, critically, minimal cost.
There is also value in the fact that not only have we provided high-speed communication facilities with two major service providers but to ensure 24/7 availability, we have also taken care to lay down multiple fibre optic cables along different routes to safeguard particularly against accidental damage (as has been known to happen elsewhere in the course of roadworks).
What future do you predict for the industry?
As both main political parties are firmly committed to the financial services sector and as Malta seems to have carved out a niche for such activities in a way that is fully compliant with EU directives, the expectations for the industry appear to be quite healthy.
This is also considering that respected international commentators name Malta as one of the three financial centres expected to grow in importance in the coming years.
Anthony R. Borg is Group Chief Executive of Aragon Co. Limited.