Infrastructure Malta collaborated with the Archdiocese of Malta to create a garden on the roof of the vocational centre at the Archbishop’s Seminary in Tal-Virtu, Rabat, with an investment of €300,000.
This was inaugurated by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg during a press conference.
The seminary is naming the roof garden ‘Fr Nicholas Cachia Meditation Garden’, in memory of the late diocesan priest who served as spiritual director of this institution for 17 years.
Minister Ian Borg said that this is another project that demonstrates this government’s commitment in favour of sustainability and green infrastructure. “We strongly believe in the importance of such projects. In this case, apart from the fact that it makes the building of the seminary more aesthetically pleasing, it will be a space where students can also relax as well as practice various skills such as horticulture. It is important that from an early age we begin to nurture our children with these types of skills and teach them about the importance that the environment has in the life of each and every one of us. We saw the embellishment of this 350 square meter roof garden with 730 new trees, shrubs and other plants, as well as 50 new olive trees in the seminary’s grounds nearby. Apart from the aesthetic goals that this project will be offering, we have also seen to implementing various other factors which complement this government’s vision in favour of sustainability.”
This roof garden is equipped with a system with which water is stored under each plant and used as needed. This saves and recycles this scarce natural resource. A substantial amount of this garden is equipped with native plant species, to serve pollinating species such as bees and butterflies. Through the natural insulation and ventilation created in this garden, the building will be using less energy to heat and cool.
The seminary’s roof garden is not the first environmental project that Infrastructure Malta implemented in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Malta and its organisations. Earlier this year, the agency worked with Caritas Malta to transform an abandoned site next to the San Blas Therapeutic Community in Żebbuġ into the ‘Grove of Hope’, a new space for reflection with 352 trees and shrubs.
Last year, Infrastructure Malta planted 1,400 new trees in the gardens of Id-Dar tal-Kleru in Birkirkara.
Photos: DOI, MTIP
