Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546390
Architecture & Design | 31 A Grade 1 building that has served Malta's wastewater infrastructure for around 130 years is being carefully restored while remaining operational, with new community spaces, a public garden and the restoration of its water tower. The project offers a fresh perspective on the value of Malta's infrastructural heritage. The Gżira Pumping Station is a remarkable piece of Malta's architectural heritage: a functioning sewage facility designed with the presence of a Neo-Gothic civic building. What struck you most about the building when you first began working on the project? What struck us was the remarkable relationship between the building's architectural character and its very pragmatic purpose. This is a building that was designed as infrastructure, yet it has a strong architectural presence. Its Neo-Gothic language and symmetrical layout give it an almost residential character, while its original purpose was entirely utilitarian: to serve as a sewage pumping station for the region. There is something particularly interesting about that combination. It reminds us that infrastructure was once considered an important part of the civic fabric of a city and that even buildings with highly technical functions could be given a sense of permanence, dignity and architectural expression. The fact that the pumping station has continued to perform its original function for around 130 years makes it even more significant. We were not looking at a building that had become obsolete and could simply be converted to another use. We were working with a living piece of infrastructure and with a building whose industrial and architectural heritage is still connected to its present-day function. That became an important starting point for the project: rather than separating heritage from contemporary use, we wanted to demonstrate that the two could coexist. It is also important to recognise that this remains an operational asset of the Water Services Corporation (WSC) and an important part of Malta's wastewater infrastructure. The project originated from WSC's objective to safeguard the building's operational function while restoring and giving new value to its architectural and historic character. W e s i t d o w n w i t h l e a d a r c h i t e c t R o s a n n e A s c i a k o f A P V a l l e t t a t o e x p l o r e t h e r e s t o r a t i o n o f G ż i r a ' s h i s t o r i c p u m p i n g s t a t i o n , i t s c o n t i n u e d r o l e a s w o r k i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , a n d t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l t h i n k i n g b e h i n d o p e n i n g t h e s i t e t o t h e p u b l i c .