Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539150
6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 5 SEPTEMBER 2025 CULTURE Blue Lagoon's digital twin: How Malta is BLUE Lagoon, the cherished jewel of Malta's islands, is tak- ing a bold step into the future. The Malta Tourism Authori- ty (MTA) has appointed Mizzi Studio to deliver its Ecological Restoration and Tourism Plan for the Blue Lagoon, Comino. The project is part of an ongo- ing plan aiming to restore, up- grade, and protect the delicate ecosystem of the Blue Lagoon and preserve its natural beauty for generations to come. The Blue Lagoon is one of Malta's most widely recognised natural sites for its crystal-clear waters and surrounding coastal garigue habitat. It is a designated Natura 2000 protected area under the EU's conservation network. For the first time, a full Digi- tal Twin of the lagoon has been created by Mizzi Studio, using advanced photogrammetry and Unreal Engine technologies. The Digital Twin enables the study and safeguarding of the Blue Lagoon's unique ecolo- gy with millimetre precision to better plan sensitive interven- tions alongside the opportunity to share the model openly with stakeholders and the public for agreed collective action. What is a digital twin? A Digital Twin is a virtual mod- el of a real-life object or place. Digital Twins play a powerful part in understanding a place in order to best protect it. Creating a recognisable digital version of a landscape becomes a tool that can be shared by all stakeholders in a project, leading to far better understanding and experience in the future of the place. The Blue Lagoon, Comino is undergoing a transformation to ensure the site is valued and protected for future generations. The Digital Twin of the lagoon created by Mizzi Studio is the first national-scale use of digital twin technology in eco-tour- ism planning. The Digital Twin pushes the boundaries of this technology and positions Malta as a world leader in the emer- gent technology of this powerful digital tool for contextual de- sign. Why now? The importance of the Digital Twin Malta is a microcosm of the challenges we are facing globally, as climate change and increasing human pressures are transform- ing the landscapes we most val- Malta Tourism Authority partners with environmental architecture practice Mizzi Studio to pioneer a world-first immersive Digital Twin of Comino's Blue Lagoon, a valuable tool in redefining how fragile landscapes are restored, managed and protected The Blue Lagoon