Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1337056
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS Balluta Buildings set for sensitive restoration JAMES DEBONO BALLUTA Buildings, one of the most iconic buildings in Malta, is set to get a sensitive restoration that will respect the natural ageing of the building to remove a dark crust layer which has accumulat- ed beneath cornices and other decora- tive elements of this majestic building. The restoration works are foreseen in a planning application submitted by the Marquis Marcus Marshall's The Vintage Company, which envisages the subdivi- sion of some of the apartments to ensure these meet the requirements of contem- porary living. The Superintendence for Cultural Her- itage and the Planning Directorate have endorsed the works led by architect Ray Demicoli. The application foresees works on 10 of the 20 apartments in Balluta Build- ings and therefore does not cover the building in its entirety. Some of the other apartments have also submitted applications through the government's "Irrestawa Darek" scheme. To avoid a stark contrast with other parts of the building not covered by the application, and to ensure homogeneity, only the necessary minimal cleaning will be done. The cleaning exercise is to restore the face of the stone and remove all accu- mulation of pollutants, while retain- ing "the patina of t i m e - i n c l u d i n g that created by li- chens- which is not causing harm to the substrate". Moreover the restoration will be carried out using hand-held tools while power tools will be avoided. Areas marred by black crust will be cleaned using the dry brush method, while pigeon droppings will be cleaned by hand using a p p r o p r i a t e protective gear and tools. Sim- ple dry-bristle knife blades and spatulas will remove moss without damag- ing or abrading the surface. The restoration will also address dangerous structures such as broken stone details. Every effort shall be made to retain as much as possible of the orig- inal masonry structure. All metal fixtures (bolts, nails, pipes, cables, etc.) affixed on the walls which are of no historical significance, and which are causing damage due to the expansion of the rusting iron, will be re- moved in a way that does not cause fur- ther damage. Due to the degradation of many of the existing apertures, these will have to be replaced with timber replicas. These will replicate the slender proportion of the apertures to ensure that the appearance of the building is not compromised. The original apertures in Balluta Build- ings consisted of single glazed windows which were mechanically controlled from inside and designed in a way that rainwater is allowed to enter and is drained through the windowsill. But such workmanship is hard to replicate. Moreover due to a lack of maintenance and the abandonment of a number of apartments, many of these apertures need to be replaced. In some areas, shut- ters have already been removed and ap- ertures have been replaced with chunky alternatives that do not respect the orig- inal proportion of the building. The interventions proposed to the inte- rior of the building are minimal and will mainly consist in changes of partition walls and apertures similar to what was approved in previous permits through which subdivisions were approved. Restoring a piece of history Completed in 1928 and built on the gar- dens in the vicinity of the Old College, Balluta Buildings is considered as one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Malta. The project was commissioned by Marquis John Sciclu- na and designed by architect Giuseppe Psaila. It now enjoys the highest level of protection as a Grade 1 monument. But over the years, the building, whose tenants benefitted from the rent con- trol regime, suffered deterioration. The main façade of the building con- sists of a massive block of flats sub- divided in three blocks. The words Balluta Buildings and AD MCMXXVIII decorate the architrave below the cen- tral pediments of each vertical struc- ture, which protrudes from the rest of the building. The windows of the two upper levels are grouped in pairs and joined by floral decorated architrave and are framed by decorative sur- rounds; those on the lower levels are further enhanced by a decorative bal- ustrade wall. The three main blocks are joined together by a plain façade with two upper floors, and verandas on the lower floors.