Architecture & Design

Architecture & Design | 7 WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF ARCHITECTURE? Obtaining a first degree in mechanical engineering, I am somewhat of a latecomer to architecture. I soon realised that I had chosen a wrong career path when I saw what my architect peers were up to and I have no regrets today about returning to university. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK? Challenging, if I had to choose one word. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON MODERN BUILDINGS AND HOW DO THEY FIT INTO THE TRADITIONAL MALTESE BUILDING STYLES? I am of the strong opinion that, whilst being contextual, buildings should always reflect the time they belong to. I find the often-compromised attempt at replicating traditional buildings more offensive than an all-out contemporary building that respects the context through materiality, mass, and proportions. WHAT LED TO YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS AS AN ARCHITECT? Setting up a practice of like-minded colleagues with whom I can share my passion for the profession is my biggest success. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS? I worked for a large firm where, at a point in my mid-thirties, I felt that I could not advance any further; having a small practice allows me to provide a platform for my team from which we can grow together. WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT TO ARCHITECTURE IN MALTA? I would be presumptuous to say that I singularly brought anything significant. I would however like to think that we are regarded as one of the local practices, amongst a number of others, that collectively put in all they can to provide a high level of contemporary design, even if at times it means butting heads with clients and authorities alike. CAN YOU COMMENT ON SOME OF YOUR RECENT PROJECTS? We recently finished BABA in Gzira, which sums up a large part of our ethos; a small but still detailed, bespoke design in close collaboration with the branding team and fabricators that mirrors our client's drive to take Lebanese street food to another level. On a larger commercial scale, we recently completed the new offices of ECOVIS Malta in Mosta, which found us working again with a global brand and an open-minded client, allowing us to come up with a sequence of spaces scripted by the firm's workflow connected through partitions of varying transparency. A couple of our more recent residential projects, a rural villa and an extension and conversion of a house set in the village core of Zebbug, showcase our use of materials within context and how our aesthetic expression is often conveyed through the building's raw structure. WHICH ARE THE PROJECTS YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF AND WHICH ARE YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE? I'm proudest of the projects where we earned our client's trust and delivered a design without compromising our vision; amongst my less favourite were a couple when we acted as the 'Perit', regarded locally merely as the one who obtains planning permission and oversees a construction to shell, with finishes taken over, often underwhelmingly, by the developer themselves. WHAT CURRENT MALTA ARCHITECTURE PLEASES YOU AND WHAT HURTS? For architecture to please me it has to present itself not as a singular building but on an urban scale with flowing public spaces bound by a collective of beautiful buildings regardless of their era or style, so, I would say the regenerative project of Dock 1 in Bormla and City Gate stand out. What hurts is the eventual lack of appreciation for these carefully curated spaces, case in point being the barricading of the Parliament and the systematic taking over by the ridiculous planters and restaurant tables and chairs right opposite.two WHO DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY?chitec Internationally, my heroes are Spanish and Portuguese, Alberto Campo Baeza and Álvaro Siza Vieira to name just two, for their sensitive, often minimal but human scale, buildings. Locally, architects such as Joseph M Spiteri and Joseph Huntingford, who found themselves at the crossroads of vernacular and emerging mid-century architecture, celebrated both with a regional modernist style employing local materials and craft; it is a disgrace that these buildings are often not regarded as part of our heritage and are being pulled down for redevelopment.two ts who WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE ASPIRING ARCHITECTS? Travel as much as you can and see how it's done elsewhere; we organise an annual office trip where we spend a few days taking in as much as we can with Berlin being this year's destination. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? We have just celebrated five years of VINCI Architects during which we've grown into a great and tight-knit team and delivered some exciting projects; hopefully we'll see more of the same!ey To learn more about Andrew Vinci and his team visit www.vinciarchitects.com For architecture to please me it has to present itself not as a singular building but on an urban scale with flowing public spaces bound by a collective of beautiful buildings regardless of their era or style " "

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