For the second consecutive year, the Ministry for Social Accommodation, in collaboration with the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, organised an international design competition inviting architects to submit a design for selected specialised housing projects.
This year’s projects benefitted from an investment of one million euro. In total, four new dilapidated government-owned properties are going to be retrofitted:
- Dar Qawsalla, proposed by the MGRM;
- Y Communal House proposed by YMCA Malta
- Dar Mixtlaproposed by Fondazzjoni Sebħ
- Extension of Dar Tereżaproposed by Richmond Foundation
Thanks to this international design competition these properties will offer an integrated approach to housing combining a specialised service and an inclusive home design to primarily vulnerable groups.
Following a briefing session for interested architects, where non-governmental entities explained their projects, there will be an open site visit in Valletta, Birkirkara and San Ġwann on December 18. Architects are requested to register their interest to participate in this competition by 31st December 2020 so that their drawings are submitted by 15th February 2021. The submitted designs will be assessed by an interdisciplinary jury in February. Finalists will be announced in March 2021.
For each project, three designs will be selected, all having a cash prize, and the winning architects will also act as project managers on behalf of the non-governmental entity.
Minister for Social Accommodation Roderick Galdes reiterated that the aim of this design competition is to serve as a best practice for how to think about and plan our homes.
“The main goal of this design competition is to put emphasis on the importance of including social value at the planning stage from the start. This modern approach on doing housing differently is adamant in including the voices and the needs of the people while simultaneously ensuring the sustainability of the building. Additionally, housing is also about community building therefore, the neighbours will be involved through participatory community meetings as the plans progress. Through this collaboration with the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, we will be carrying out four other specialised housing projects with a design that relates to the needs of the beneficiaries, the buildings and the community.”
President of the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers Perit Andre Pizzuto explained that the awareness about the way architecture affects people’s quality of life is steadily on the increase.
“The Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers has been calling for the adoption of design competitions as the preferred form of procurement of architectural services for many years. We are very satisfied that the Ministry for Social Accommodation and the Housing Authority have embraced architectural design competitions last year, and following the successful experience have increased the budget allocation and the number of projects for the design competitions that have been launched in this year’s edition.”
Perit Andre Pizzuto concluded that, “We trust that the leadership being shown by Minister Roderick Galdes and his team in promoting good architecture, while concurrently addressing the needs of very specific groups of vulnerable members of our communities, will serve as a best- practice to recognise the benefits of architectural competitions for our communities and our urban environment.”
Interested architects can register via this link.
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