The Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers is proposing a network to link those who want to get rid of potential architectural treasures with those who would like to use them for new projects.

Chamber president Christopher Mintoff told The Sunday Times of Malta that it was heart-breaking to see traditional Maltese tiles, spiral staircases, old apertures, arches and xorok (stone slabs) being thrown away on a daily basis.

“There are craftsmen who produce such things, but complete facades or features could be prohibitively expensive.

“If stonemasons were required to complete pre-existing features with a few additional elements, the cost would be reduced while their services would be in greater demand.”

The idea for this architectural Element Exchange Programme is to store unwanted artefacts in a warehouse and log every item.

If stonemasons were required to complete pre-existing features with a few additional elements, the cost would be reduced

Architects, who will have access to this database, can look up any items they may need for a client’s project. These could vary from citrus trees to stone slabs of a particular length, which are no longer produced.

“Apart from preserving elements of local heritage by recycling the artefacts, we would also be reducing the carbon footprint and energy invested into producing new material,” Mr Mintoff explained.

When trees are uprooted, they are replaced with new ones. However, the environmental impact resulting from the cutting and production of such architectural features cannot be recovered once they are thrown away.

The chamber hopes this exchange project will become self-funding, and any overspill profit is invested in lecturing and training to fulfil its social responsibility obligations.

The idea has been well received by architects, and the chamber is now appealing for support from the authorities and the public.