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PR 01/26 | KTP calls for identity-driven quality design in the establishment of the three proposed national parks

 

The Government of Malta’s proposal to establish national parks at Manoel Island, White Rocks, and Fort Campbell provides a significant opportunity to make a fundamental shift towards long‑term environmental stewardship, public accessibility, and cultural regeneration. The Kamra tal‑Periti welcomes this direction while emphasising that the success of these flagship projects depends on rigorous planning, strong design leadership, and a clear identity for each site.

In this context, and as a response to the Government’s Shape Your Space consultation through Parksinmalta.mt, the Kamra tal‑Periti is publishing a comprehensive reply Conserving Nature, Promoting Adaptive Reuse: Sustainable Stewardship of Malta’s National Parks. This publication outlines a vision for national parks in Malta and presents a framework to guide the transformation of these three major sites into Malta’s national parks. 

Conserving Nature, Promoting Adaptive Reuse

The new national parks will only succeed if they are identity‑driven, embedded in a Baukultur principles, and their design procured by competition. The Kamra underscores the importance that the White Rocks, Manoel Island and Fort Campbell develop a unique, context-driven identity, grounded in their history. It is also stresses how across all three sites, existing buildings are to be considered as assets and not obstacles, promoting adaptive reuse. Most importantly, the Kamra calls for open and transparent architecture design competitions, to ensure excellence, transparency and public trust in the procurement of the design services. The organisation of architectural design competition is a guarantee of high-quality design outcomes as it pitches the best design proposals on the basis of merit before an expert jury, as opposed to conventional tenders which award contracts on the basis of cheapest price, which seldom results in the best use of public funds in the long-term.

The Kamra is offering its technical assistance in the organisation and management of architectural design competitions as it has done on a number of occasions with various public entities in the past. Several other key proposals can also be found in its detailed public consultation document.

Executive Summary

The Government of Malta’s proposal to establish National Parks at Manoel Island, White Rocks, and Fort Campbell provides a significant opportunity to make a fundamental shift towards long‑term environmental stewardship, public accessibility, and cultural regeneration. The Kamra tal‑Periti welcomes this direction while emphasising that the success of these flagship projects depends on rigorous planning, strong design leadership, and a clear identity for each site.

Distinct Identity for Each Park

The Kamra strongly recommends that each proposed National Park must develop a unique, context‑driven identity, shaped by its history, landscape, setting, and community relevance. Identity should act as a long‑term design and governance tool, preventing ad‑hoc decisions, avoiding over‑commercialisation, and ensuring spaces remain primarily for public enjoyment rather than revenue‑driven activities. [see section 2]

Regeneration Before Demolition

Existing structures across the three sites should be treated as assets, not constraints. Adaptive reuse provides environmental benefits through reduced embodied carbon, while preserving the cultural narratives embedded in the built fabric. Function must be central to any restoration strategy to ensure long‑term care, daily use, and active stewardship.

Quality‑Led Design Competitions

Given the national significance of the parks, KTP strongly advocates for independent, open design competitions, based on measurable outcomes in sustainability, heritage protection, spatial quality, and Baukultur principles. A two‑stage competition with professional remuneration ensures fairness, ambition, and excellence while reducing future maintenance burdens.

Alignment with Baukultur

The Baukultur framework reinforces a holistic, human‑centred approach to the built environment. For the National Parks, this requires:

  • Integrated planning of architecture, landscape, mobility, and heritage
  • Inclusive, accessible design for all ages and abilities
  • Long‑term stewardship, not short‑term intervention
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration and meaningful public engagement
Connectivity & Spatial Strategy

The parks must become part of a wider national green network. Priority should be given to:

  • Sustainable transport: walking, cycling, public transport, and in coastal contexts, maritime links
  • Restriction of vehicular penetration
  • Strong connections with surrounding communities through formal and informal spaces
Site‑Specific Potentials

The following identity proposals are only indicative, simply to show how each National Park can take on a distinct role within a larger network of public spaces, avoiding overlap and encouraging diversity.

White Rocks – A Coastal Cultural & Educational Park

With an extensive shoreline and a varied collection of buildings, White Rocks is well‑suited for a cultural, educational, and research‑oriented identity. The site can become a national hub for environmental awareness, science, outdoor learning, and adaptive reuse. Its coastal setting supports low‑impact recreation and landscape‑driven design.

Manoel Island – An Urban Park

Manoel Island’s location within a dense urban context positions it as an active city park with strong recreational, sporting, and maritime potential. Its identity should emphasise daily use, walkability, and integration with Valletta, Sliema, and Gżira. Existing military and hospital structures offer significant opportunities for adaptive reuse.

Fort Campbell – A Landscape & Heritage Park

Fort Campbell’s remote coastal setting and unique military fabric lend themselves to a landscape‑led, contemplative park rooted in ecology, memory, and heritage conservation. The site requires sensitive intervention, extensive restoration, and careful phasing due to its fragile condition. Its identity should privilege nature, tranquillity, and minimal built intervention

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Conserving Nature, Promoting Adaptive Reuse (Print Version EN)
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Architecture at the Heart of Europe’s Cultural Future: Insights from Copenhagen

The launch of Denmark’s new architectural policy in Copenhagen provided a platform for European leaders, practitioners, and cultural stakeholders to reaffirm architecture’s expanding role in shaping societal wellbeing, sustainability, and competitiveness. Speakers highlighted that architecture today is inseparable from broader cultural and educational ecosystems. Denmark’s presidency was commended for embedding architecture firmly within cultural policy, positioning it as a driver of innovation, healthy environments, and economic vitality. The discussions underscored that investment in culture and creative industries—supported by programmes such as the International Plus initiative—strengthens the connection between education, real-world design, reconstruction, and the cultivation of resilient communities.

A recurring theme was cultural diversity as a foundational European value. The new Culture Communication document was presented as a milestone in recognising how diverse cultural expressions enrich citizens’ lives, with architecture explicitly referenced as a tool for creating high-quality living environments. Participants emphasised the continuing influence of the Bauhaus movement on modern design and Europe’s reconstruction agenda, setting the stage for the emerging European Powerhouse initiative—a framework aimed at strategically coordinating cultural and architectural ambitions across the continent.

Speakers also addressed pressing challenges confronting Europe’s built environment. Museums face operational and financial strain, while the continent urgently requires a coherent affordable housing strategy. Architecture, they argued, must remain central to public policy to ensure that design excellence and social responsibility drive decision-making. New policies for defence and industrial capacity were discussed, with calls to ensure that cultural and creative sectors are not sidelined. Several pilot projects will be launched to demonstrate the transformative potential of culture in rural and peripheral regions.

Architects and practitioners shared examples of innovative projects illustrating the breadth of contemporary architectural thinking. Presenters stressed the importance of approaching architecture through integrated lenses—landscape, mobility, and strategic urban planning—especially in the context of climate change, social fragmentation, and declining public spaces. High-quality social infrastructure, climate-aligned urbanism, and collaborative design processes were highlighted as effective pathways for creating resilient cities.

International case studies from Denmark, the United States, and Shanghai reinforced the value of working sensitively with existing infrastructure. Projects transforming riverfronts, public transit corridors, and former industrial areas demonstrated how strategic planning principles can enhance connectivity and radically improve daily life for millions.

The European Bauhaus initiative emerged as a unifying thread across the event. Speakers described its mission to integrate sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics in reshaping urban environments. With broad collaboration involving companies, NGOs, and communities, the initiative is developing shared principles and a manifesto to guide architectural transformation across Europe. The experience of Ljubljana, which applied Bauhaus principles to redevelop a large warehouse district, illustrated the challenges and rewards of participatory and community-driven urbanism.

The Copenhagen discussions converged on a clear message: nature connectedness must be embedded at the heart of Europe’s architectural and urban development agenda. Local initiatives, supported by national strategies and EU-level coordination, are essential to overcome barriers such as limited space, funding, and public resistance. Blue-green infrastructure, community-driven design, and cross-sector collaboration—spanning developers, governments, educators, and civil society—will be vital for building cities that are socially resilient, environmentally regenerative, and culturally meaningful. Continued research, experimentation, and shared learning across Europe will be crucial to advancing this integrated vision for sustainable urban transformation.

Perit Maurizio Ascione and Perit Karl Francalanza (Policy Committee on Architecture Chairperson and Member) represented Kamra tal-Periti at this key event, reinforcing our commitment to policy-driven architecture.

 

 

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PR 16/25 | Union of Mediterranean Architects’ General Assembly held in Malta approves KTP motion calling for culturally sensitive and humane reconstruction of Gaza

Over the past two days, the Kamra tal-Periti hosted delegates from Mediterranean architectural associations for a conference on Cultural Resilience and the Union of Mediterranean Architects’ General Assembly. 

On Friday, the UMAR General Assembly adopted the declaration moved by the KTP calling for a culturally, socially, and humanely sensitive reconstruction of Gaza, denouncing any attempts to undertake speculative development unrelated to the endemic population’s needs. 

The motion, presented by KTP President Perit André Pizzuto, calls on the international community to set up an independent international assessment, with the participation of UNHABITAT, UNESCO, and UIA, of the destruction inflicted on Gaza’s built environment, heritage, and civilian infrastructure. 

The motion also calls on “all architects, planners, and built-environment professionals worldwide to uphold their ethical obligation to refrain from participating in projects that contribute to forced displacement, settlement expansion, speculative development unrelated to the endemic population’s needs, or violations of international humanitarian law.” 

On Thursday, KTP organised a conference which investigated the impact of climate change, tourism, and armed conflicts on cultural heritage within the Mediterranean region. European Commissioner for Culture Glenn Micallef and other distinguished international and local speakers delivered inspiring presentations which are expected to form the basis for future international collaboration on regional cultural projects over the months ahead. 

 

In the pictures, scenes from Gaza and its port, courtesy of Mr Mahmoud Alamour; Palestinian Architect and UMAR Council Member.

 

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Read the UMAR Declaration
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PR 15/25 | Court confirms legality of KTP disciplinary procedures

In a landmark ruling delivered this morning, the First Hall of the Civil Court (Constitutional Jurisdiction), presided over by Justice Henri Mizzi, confirmed that the laws and regulations governing the Kamra tal-Periti’s disciplinary procedures, when taken as a whole, do not infringe the right to a fair hearing.

The judgment followed a request for a constitutional reference filed earlier this year by periti Roderick Camilleri and Anthony Mangion as part of their appeal against the KTP Council’s decision to suspend their warrant due to professional shortcomings related to the tragedy that led to Miriam Pace’s death in 2020.

The appeal centred on  several constitutional matters, including an alleged lack of impartiality arising from the Council’s dual role in conducting preliminary investigations and making disciplinary determinations. The Court found that while this arrangement, taken in isolation, could appear to breach Article 39 of the Constitution and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the disciplinary process as a whole – particularly the unrestricted right of appeal to the Court of Appeal – provides full safeguards to periti and satisfies the requirements of a fair hearing.

The Kamra tal-Periti welcomes this judgment and looks forward to further strengthening its disciplinary and regulatory functions in the months ahead, supported by the resources allocated in the recent budget and through partnerships with various public and private entities.

The Kamra underscores the importance of effective and well-resourced professional bodies tasked with self-regulation which is free from political interference is essential to safeguard the public interest and the standing of the profession.

The Kamra was represented in these proceedings by Dr Joseph Mizzi and Dr Ylenia Busuttil of Muscat Mizzi Advocates. This decision is still subject to appeal.

 

 

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Read also: PR 04/25

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PR 14/25 | Kamra tal-Periti calls for preservation of modernist military heritage at White Rocks

 

The Kamra tal-Periti welcomes the Government’s recent announcement to designate the White Rocks site as a National Park, a landmark decision that will safeguard this coastal area from future development. This initiative represents a significant step toward environmental stewardship and sustainable land use.

In this regard, the Kamra strongly urges that this vision be extended to include the protection and restoration of the historic White Rocks Barracks, originally known as the Officers’ Married Quarters. Constructed in the 1960s under the War Office Works Directorate. These buildings are a rare example of modernist military and residential architecture in Malta. Designed by leading Maltese and British architects, the complex was celebrated internationally, featuring twice in international magazine The Architectural Review (1965 and 1969) for its “simple dignity” and harmonious integration with the landscape.

The ‘tower-in-park’ design adopted at the White Rocks is a modernist concept, championed by Le Corbusier. Across the European continent, in cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, London, modernist housing estates embraced this concept which placed multi-unit blocks within landscaped areas. This urban design principle of the last century is a direct product of the experimentation and advances of the architecture and technological industries at the time, and it should be protected both as built heritage, as well as cultural landscape

The Kamra tal-Periti supports the Government’s designation of White Rocks as a National Park but insists that the conservation of this complex cannot be a success if either the built or the natural fabric is excluded. Therefore, the Kamra advocates for a wholistic approach towards the area, inclusive of full protection and restoration of the original 1960s barracks. White Rocks is an opportunity for a unique cultural landscape on the islands, and the Kamra trusts that adaptive reuse strategies, serving a cultural and educational purposes, are employed.

The Kamra recommends that:

  • The White Rocks complex is afforded statutory protection under both the Development Planning Act and the Cultural Heritage Act, and
  • That the regeneration project of the area is undertaken through an architectural design competition.

 

 

 

A Brief Historical Timeline

1960s – Built as Officers’ Married Quarters for British military personnel, showcasing modernist design principles.

1979 – British forces withdraw; site handed over to Maltese authorities.

1980s–1995 – Converted into a holiday complex serving language students.

1995 onwards – Site abandoned; multiple redevelopment proposals fail.

2025 – Government announces designation as a National Park.

 

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Images from wikimedia.org

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