Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523590
11 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JULY 2024 banks sparks architectural debate How the new building will look The photomontages taken from various angles presented by the developer confirm that the new building will dominate the immediate streetscape in- cluding views from the open space near Palazzo Spinola. Viewed from Spinola square the new building will complement another neighbouring hotel de- velopment (the Luxfair Spinola hotel) whose extension was ap- proved in 2022, but which still has to be constructed. Architect Edward Said has described the proposed building as "a nonde- script construction block, only metres away from the Grade 1 Palazzo Spinola". The architectural value of bank branches This building was one of sev- eral former Mid Med Bank branches designed by Richard England in the 1970s. A heritage activist, Edward Said is object- ing to the complete demolition of these modernist buildings and is calling for the integration of their facades into the new de- velopment projects. While these branches were all designed in "an internation- al modernist aesthetic", they also included regionalist nu- ances harking to the Maltese vernacular, and fine paintings and sculptures by eminent art- ists of the time were often in- cluded in the interior fabric of these branches. "All of this was done in a well-mannered, busi- ness-like architecture, honest to its original use," Said said. "Surely the present architects can sensitively integrate the ex- terior of the present building in their proposal," he said. Said believes these buildings should be considered as urban landmarks, not unlike the cine- mas of the 1950s. Whilst some of the branches have been de- molished or modified unrecog- nisably, a few branches like the one in St Julians, Msida and St Paul's Bay "certainly merit re- spectable preservation", having been designed by "an interna- tionally acclaimed Maltese ar- chitect." Said emphasised the archi- tectural importance of these first-time ever nation-wide pur- pose-built banks which like the Parisian tollhouses by Claude Ledoux and the London tube sta- tions by Charles Holden, were all designed differently in propor- tion to their locality back in the 60s and 70s. Furthermore, these buildings hold social value being important centres for the com- munities across Malta and Gozo Other HSBC branches facing demolition Other HSBC buildings fac- ing demolition are its former branches in Msida and Mell- ieha. In the case of the Mellieha branch along Triq Gorg Borg Olivier which could make way for a new six-storey hotel pro- posed by Jarom Investments, the SCH recognised that the bank branch has "modernist sensibilities". But rather than expressing its own verdict the SCH has asked for an official statement in writ- ing from Richard England, con- firming whether he is the archi- tect of the building and to state whether the building has any architectural merits and value. The SCH is also objecting to the demolition of a neighbour- ing old townhouse which is also earmarked for demolition and is objecting to "the extensive massing and volume" of the project. With regards to the demoli- tion of the bank branch in Msi- da the SCH had no objections to the demolition of the bank branch which it declared having "no intrinsic value" to make way for an eight-storey high office block but expressed concern on the proposed development of a neighbouring old townhouse. A permit for demolition of the St Paul's Bay branch expired last year. Considered the finest of bank branches designed by Richard England, the building is worthy of inclusion in the list of scheduled buildings according to Said. In October 2023, Architect Richard England, referring to the St Julians building, said he had always 'felt uncomfortable with the way this building turned out and was not opposed to its demolition'