Architecture & Design

22 | Architecture & Design design process, resulting in an architecture which made direct references to the humble fishermen's homes that lined the waterfront beneath. Different typologies of units allowed for rows and terraces, a suavely bowed geometry, following the natural contours, interspaced with small pockets of greenery. Variously dimensioned openings, arches and verandas added appeal to this successful destination allowing views for everyone of the sleepy, picturesque bay. A fine motif was the stone finned cornices crowning the curved blocks. Regretfully time was not at all kind to Ta'Monita with the ravages of 21st century development reducing it to only a few fragments hidden behind hulks of soulless construction. As Ta'Monita was ready to receive guests, a world away in Sliema, another hotel by the hand of Richard England also opened its doors. Sited at Fond Għadir, the Tower Palace Hotel's was essentially a monolithic architecture. England's pleasure sought in curved projections gave this fulcrum a smart, eye-catching building. To my mind the sequence of thick fin-like pillars girdling the frontage from Windsor Terrace around onto Tower Road suggested nuances of some of the centrepieces of his hotels as well as other residential projects. Or perhaps even adopting the manners of the Victorian bay- windowed houses further along the seafront most of which were then still standing. I recall being somewhat proud of the fact that two remarkable pieces of Modernist architecture by Richard England held pride of place in Sliema, the other being the ex-Joinwell premises further along Tower Road on the corner with High Street, musing how both deserved some form of landmark status if nothing else. This of course was not to be, for the hotel at least, as down it suddenly came some years ago. True that to build this hotel, an Art Nouveau mansion was pulled down, indeed one of the sadder episodes in town-planning however it was replaced with a noteworthy piece of architecture. What replaced Tower Palace is however at best non-descript and can never merit any significance save some bizarre interest in preserving relics of bleakness and mediocrity which dominate our age. Good manners in architecture is a quality which Richard England often alludes to. His Mid Med Bank premises expressed such a sentiment given that most of them were sited in formal urban cores. At Santa Venera however far out from St Joseph High Road, he nonetheless positioned a smart two-storeyed office building to serve as a computer centre. Chiaroscuro was once more sought when moulding the façade, the upper floor being enclosed in a row of deep, projecting archivaults also seen in his Msida branch. Alas the former has long gone, however the latter still stands, as do others in various localities, notably St Julians and St Paul's Bay. Each worthy of being recorded, studied, possibly leading to the protection of a few specimen of these individualistic creations, some of which still even retain artistic pieces within by the architect himself or contributions from his circle of artists. From all of the losses, one particular building stands out for Richard. Villa La Maltija in San Pawl Tat-Tarġa, where two sisters entrusted the architect to provide them with a spacious home, giving him free reign to embody and indulge all he relished in design. Set amidst panoramic views across central and northern Malta, to quote Henvaux "the whole architecture of the villa has been thought out to create a contemporary expression strongly tied to Maltese tradition". Quentin Hughes actually compares its "solidity" to the mighty fortifications. Completely demolished just over a decade ago, it was replaced with several much smaller semidetached villas. Peeved for having never felt or tasted this beauty, I long for the day when a realistic computerised walk-through can be offered. What has surely been underscored in this text are examples of the dynamic transformation of the Maltese islands from Independence onwards. A nation was born demanding countless exigencies. With buildings we saw how good taste and sensitivity soon yielded to socio-political and economic pressures which has sent this sector into a frenzy. "The speed of change makes you wonder what will become of architecture" said Tadao Ando. Rather than concluding in tears however, this appraisal should serve as a red alert, which proponents of post-war architecture have been sounding for quite some time now. How many more losses can we sustain of those dwindling buildings which although classified as modern are in fact for the most part regionalist, thus identifiably Maltese? And yes those by Richard England must receive special attention. I for one intend doing what I can to. Education is the key, but we must make haste!

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