Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507552
NEWS 9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 JAMES DEBONO MALTA'S national heritage authority has issued its clear- ance for the contemporary de- sign being proposed for addi- tions to the former Savoy hotel which it claims will "enhance the legibility of the historical part of the property" while al- so ensuring that the new addi- tions are "immediately identi- fiable as later construction". This emerges from the Su- perintendence for Cultural Heritage's assessment of plans to transform the abandoned hotel in to a business centre. The project still needs the ap- proval of the Planning Author- ity but the approval of the SCH clears a major hurdle for the development being proposed in a landmark listed building. The SCH also noted that the volumes proposed above the ex hotel are receded so as not to impede the legibility of the historical structure, while also screening the unsightly blank party wall looming over it. Moreover, the proposed vol- umes flanking the hotel will screen the high contemporary buildings in the immediate background of the hotel. The SCH has also proposed the imposition of a €23,000 bank guarantee to be forfeit- ed upon the conclusion of the works. But the SCH's approval con- trasts with the objection of Din l-Art Helwa, one of Malta's leading heritage lobby. DLH maintains that the pro- posed setback floors lying directly above the Grade 2 scheduled building will detract from its architectural value since these additions together with the new annexed develop- ment will overwhelm the site. "Such additions are being deemed excessive and fail to ensure the protection of the Grade 2 scheduled building's architectural and historical value", the organisation said in an objection. Project developer, Exalco Properties, has recently re- leased photomontages of the proposed building, showing how it will look like for pas- sersby. CVC Architecture studio, responsible for the project's design, had also presented a design statement to justify its choice for a "contemporary ex- tension". The extension "is intention- ally designed to contrast dras- tically with the original build- ing" while "being set back" in a way that "remains subservient to the historic building" and further enhance "the original architectural fabric which will be fully restored as part of this project". The Savoy Business centre is being proposed on the site of the former Savoy Hotel, a historic building which has landmark status at the top of Triq d'Argens at the gateway to Sliema approaching from Gzira. For the architects the histor- ic building and its front gar- den offer an opportunity to re-invent the building within today's context "of a dense ur- ban and traffic congested en- vironment" with the creation of a new business centre. The architects believe it offers an opportunity for urban regen- eration. The project as proposed also includes contemporary reced- ed floors proposed above the historic building. Apart from physically linking the exten- sion to the historic building, the receded floors will screen the unsightly large blank party walls which currently exist. The building was grant- ed Grade 2 protection status by the Planning Authority in 2018. The plans envisage four base- ment parking levels, a cafeteria on ground floor level and six overlying office floors, includ- ing two receded floors on top of the old building and a six- floor extension over an annex building which will be demol- ished. The plans also envisage the restoration of the existing di- lapidated Savoy Hotel main building and the demolition of both the derelict 'annex' and the disused fuel station within the same site. The project also entails the restoration of a boundary wall and gates and the transforma- tion of the front garden area into a pedestrianised terraced square. The derelict Savoy Hotel had been sold off for a whopping €12.8 million during an auc- tion held in September 2022. The former Savoy Hotel, with its multi-faceted bay windows, is a landmark building at the top of Rue D'Argens that has been abandoned for years. The area is still known by the name of the former hotel. Superintendence okays Savoy hotel's 'contemporary' design Contemporary design will make historical part more visible, says heritage authority but Din l-Art Helwa warns that the modern addition will 'overwhelm' the site Top: A view of the existing Savoy hotel as seen from Rue d'Argens and (above) a photomontage of the finished project as proposed