The involvement of consultancy firm Mott MacDonald in the Mercury House project was not limited to mechanical and electrical issues, as it also gave advice on other aspects, including structural feasibility, safety and energy efficiency, this newspaper has learnt.

An illustration of the proposed Paceville Mercury Tower project

Documents seen by this newspaper confirm that Mott MacDonald even went into what type of concrete aggregate specifications had to be used for the structure, the placement of fire alarms, lifts, ventilation chambers and emergency exits.

The firm has been dragged into controversy since it emerged that the advice was given at the same time it was approached by the planning authority to draft the Paceville master plan.

READ: Consultants' work to be 'reviewed'

Though Mott MacDonald had flagged this potential conflict of interest, it was still awarded the €300,000 contract to draft the plan, which was published for public consultation last September.

Faced with these claims, PA chief Johann Buttigieg last Wednesday told a parliamentary committee that the firm’s involvement in the Mercury Tower project had not impinged on the master plan proposals. He insisted that Mott MacDonald had come into the picture after being roped in by international architectural firm Zaha Hadid, which designed the tower.

Mr Buttigieg insisted the consultancy on the Mercury Tower was in the form of a “high-level analysis” regarding “electricity and structure”.

On its part, the Planning Parliamentary Secretariat, politically responsible for this authority, said the advice was given by a different branch within Mott MacDondald and was limited to mechanical engineering issues.

However, from a detailed report on the Mercury Tower project which was being circulated to prospective buyers by real estate agencies, the consultancy firm had gone into great detail on several other aspects.

The project consists of two adjacent tall buildings – a 160m residential tower and a 130m office tower. From a structural perspective, the firm advised on the limitations of the concrete produced in Malta, saying it would not withstand the load on the foundations. Secondly, it cautioned that no Maltese contractor had the expertise to construct such tall buildings.

In this respect, Mott MacDonald remarked that “the complex geometry, high design loads, construction limitations and tight programme made this project extremely challenging”.

The report also included other recommendations on ventilation and cooling ducts, heat pump locations, electrical substations, intelligent alarm systems, fire alarms and the sewer system. In addition, Mott MacDonald was also asked to give advice on vertical transport issues like passenger and freight lifts.