UPDATED / Lands Authority issues call for Periti for the provision of valuations – Deadline extended

The Lands Authority has issued a call for Expression of Interest for Periti to form a pool of valuers for the valuation of real estate held by the State. This is being done in view of the legal obligation for properties above €400,000 to be valued by three independent Periti under the recently approved Government Lands Act.

Deadline has been extended to Friday 15th September 2017 at 5pm.

For further information about the call and how to submit your application, please follow the link below.

Provision of Professional Services by ‘Periti’ EOI/ 001/ 2017/ LA

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KTP reps on BICC Working Groups announced

Following a call issued by the Council for members of the profession to represent it on the five BICC Working Groups in July, the KTP has informed the nominees formally in writing about its selection.

Advisory Board

The BICC forum consists of 25 stakeholders within the sector.  There are members who are Regulators, Educational Institutions, Employers, Workers’ representatives through unions, Developers, Financial Institutions, and the Professionals. The Kamra tal-Periti is one of three professional chambers represented on the BICC.

KTP’s representatives on the BICC Advisory Board are Perit Simone Vella Lenicker and Perit Amber Wismayer.

Working Groups

To function better the BICC has 5 Working Groups which are: Education, Training, Classification and Registration;  Property Market;  Regeneration of Property;  Research and Innovation; and Building Regulations and EU Directives; each working group has its own coordinator.  Furthermore, there are also a number of ad-hoc committees such as the Eurocode Technical Team, The Skill-Card team; and the Comfort in the home team.

Building Regulations & EU Directives

This working group oversees the revision and implementation of building regulations in Malta, as well as monitors the introduction of EU Directives affecting the building industry and consults accordingly. KTP’s representatives on this working group are Perit Philip Grech and Perit Andre Pizzuto.

 

Regeneration of Property

The purpose of this working group is to analyse how vacant properties can be upgraded to stimulate demand.  It also forwards proposals to Government on incentive schemes to encourage owners to refurbish their old properties. KTP’s representatives on this working group are Perit Amber Wismayer and Perit Eve Degiorgio.

 

​Property Market

This working group is currently working on the creation of a Property Price Index. KTP’s representatives on this working group are Perit Simone Vella Lenicker and Perit George Farrugia.

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Research & Innovation

This working group promotes research and innovative materials suitable for the local market. KTP’s representatives on this working group are Perit Konrad Xuereb and Perit Rebecca Dalli Gonzi.

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Education & Training

This working group is composed of educational institutions, professions, workers’ representatives and employers with the objective of creating courses for those involved in the sector and the general public. It is currently working on the introduction of the Skill-Cards.​ KTP’s representatives on this working group are Perit Luke Lapira and Perit Rene Cutajar.

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New Lifts Regulations to come in force on 1st September 2017

The three year transitory period between the old lifts regulations EN 81-1:1998 and the new regulations EN 81-20:2014 will come to an end on 31st August, 2017.

 

The main changes consist in:

  • Greater refuge space requirements in the lift pit and on the car top within the headroom;
  • Increased protection from failing from the car roof;
  • Enhanced strength requirements in the well walls and doors;
  • Additional pit safety features;
  • Improved counterweight safety, notably counterweight safety gear requirements;
  • Overall increased safety for engineers, inspectors and any persons having to enter the lift well as part of their job role;
  • Increased safety for passengers.

Any new lift that is registered with the MCCAA after 31st August, 2017, must conform to the new regulations

 

A series of practice guidelines will be published on this website in the coming weeks.

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KTP meets Ian Borg & Chris Agius

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Perit Vincent Cassar awarded RIBA President’s Medal

Former KTP president Perit Vincent Cassar has just been awarded the RIBA President’s Medal this evening. This tribute acknowledges the important role that Presidents of Architects’ Institutes across the world make to their professional and social communities, and to their outstanding contribution in driving excellence in architecture both domestically and internationally.

Perit Cassar is well known at both the national and international level. He is a past President of the Kamra tal-Periti, past Council Member, Treasurer and Co-ordinator of a Thematic Area of the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), and representative of the KTP to the European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE).

His main achievement at an international level is his current role as President of the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), which position he will hold until 2019.

Perit Cassar, a graduate in Architecture and Civil Engineering from the University of Malta, joined the Public Service in 1973 as a Junior Architect and Civil Engineer with the then Public Works Department and was assigned to the Schools and Hospital Section. Since then he has worked within other sections of the Public Works organisation and was responsible for various projects including those for housing, healthcare and hospitals, and other major projects of a civil engineering nature such as roads and marine works. Such large scale projects included the design and construction of the Karen Grech Paediatric Hospital and its adjoining Maternity complex, and the construction of Terminal I at the Malta Freeport Container Terminal and the Luqa Air Terminal.

Perit Cassar also currently serves as Chairman of the Planning Board in Malta.

In a statement to the Kamra tal-Periti, Perit Cassar said, “I dedicate this honour to all my colleagues on the KTP Council and indeed to all periti in Malta and also to all architects around the Commonwealth”.

The Kamra tal-Periti warmly congratulates Perit Cassar on this distinguished award and professional achievement.

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Architects’ Council of Europe announces start of CONNECT ARCH project

The Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) has announced that it has been successfully selected to run a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme, called Connecting Architects in Europe (CONNECT ARCH). This four-year project will aim to reinforce the sector’s capacity and help the profession to face current and forthcoming challenges: cross-border and trans-national mobility, increased competition from outside the EU, adaptation to digital technologies, acquisition of new skills and competences, to name but a few.

In the autumn of 2016, ACE submitted a bid in response to a call for proposals from the Creative Europe Programme, the EU Commission’s financing instrument that supports Europe’s cultural and creative sectors. The European Networks sub-programme is designed to help the cultural and creative sectors to operate transnationally and to strengthen their competiveness, notably by providing professionals with specific skills and experience, to enable them to expand their careers in Europe and beyond.

The successful ACE project proposal, called Connecting Architects in Europe (CONNECT ARCH), will aim to reinforce the architectural sector’s capacity and help the profession to face current and forthcoming challenges. It is made up of 10 activities grouped under four inter-related over-arching objectives, namely:

  1. Strengthening the ACE network and increasing collaboration among its members – notably by increasing knowledge-sharing and peer-to-peer learning among ACE members and enhancing their ability to engage in EU policy and law-making processes;
  2. Improving the transnational mobility of European architects – to contribute to the realisation of the full potential of EU Internal Market legislation, notably by identifying and promoting opportunities and partnerships in the EU and beyond;
  3. Enabling European Architects to build up their professional and business skills – notably by organising CPD modules to help architects and firms to maintain and acquire new skills to remain globally competitive and flourish in new markets;
  4. Creating an Observatory for the architectural profession – to inform EU and national policy-makers of market conditions and trends, on various aspects of the profession, by providing comparative, quantitative and qualitative data on sector developments.

CONNECT-ARCH will enable ACE to run many varied activities to strengthen the capacities and visibility of the profession at EU level and beyond, for the benefit of its Member Organisations, and ultimately all European architects. With this project, ACE is tackling the challenges of today and invest in the future.

Visit the ACE website to remain informed of forthcoming activities.

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European Commission sues Germany on Architects’ and Engineers’ Tariffs

German Federal Chamber of Architects HQ

 

The German Federal Chamber of Architects informed members of ACE in a statement yesterday that the European Commission has lodged the application initiating proceedings in the case of the Official German Scale of Fees for Services by Architects and Engineers (HOAI) to the Court of Justice of the European Union on 23 June. The Court of Justice has delivered the application initiating proceedings to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on 28 June. The case number is Commission v Germany C-377/17.

The European Commission had previously announced on 17 November 2016 its decision to take further steps in the infringement procedure against Germany regarding the HOAI. According to the Commission, the binding minimum and maximum rates of the HOAI are not compliant with the EU Services Directive (Directive 2006/123/EC). The German Federal Government disagrees with the legal opinion of the Commission and will not change the HOAI to remove the binding minimum and maximum rates. Therefore, the case has been brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The German Federal Chamber of Architects expressed its appreciation for ACE affiliates’ ongoing support in defending the Official German Scale of Fees for Services by Architects and Engineers (HOAI) expressed during the ACE general assemblies in December 2016 in Brussels and in April 2016 in Berlin.

The German chamber has asked for assistance in defending their cause by lobbying Member States and institutions of the Union to intervene in the case before the Court  as per Article 40 paragraph 1 of the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The deadline for the submission of such an application is six weeks from the publication of the notice in the Official Journal of the European Union. “Hence, rapid intervention is required,” it added.

 

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