Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712521
14 IT has undeniably been a 'land- mark' week for Malta's Planning Authority. 'Landmark' was in fact the word used by two architects to describe the twin high-rise pro- jects that were contentiously ap- proved at a public hearing last Thursday. One involves four towers at Mriehel, ranging from 10 to 16 storeys; the other, a sin- gle skyscraper rising 38 storeys from the heart of Sliema. It is hard to conceive of a more appropriate term than 'land- mark' to describe these pro- jects. Both (for better or worse) will have irreversible effects on the landscape and skyline of the Maltese islands; and both will certainly 'mark' the surround- ing 'land' with all the stress and inconvenience inevitably caused by construction projects lasting several years. More pertinently, however, the decision to grant permits for projects of such unprecedented magnitude – at a time when Malta does not yet possess any- thing resembling a 'masterplan', to address any of the environ- mental and infrastructural issues associated with high-rise build- ings – is also 'landmark' in the sense that it ushers in a whole new dimension to the planning process. As architect Conrad Thake will put it later in this interview, the decision represents something of a bold dash into 'uncharted ter- ritory'. But that is later. Right now, we have only just met at a small café outside the University, where Dr Thake lectures in the Faculty of Architecture. "This is a bit of a déjà vu," he begins over a coffee. "The de- bate about high-rise has been experienced by countless cul- tures and peoples; it is a bit passé compared with what others have been through. What troubles me a bit, though, is that we tend to go for a rather superficial and simplistic argumentation. We can't expand horizontally, we can't go into ODZ… so, thinking in a linear way, the only solution is to go up. Even then, however: to what degree do we go up? Are we talking about medium-rise – five to 10 floors – or are we talk- ing 38, 40+?" Judging by the first high-rise permits to be approved, the an- swer seems to be both at once: in different parts of Malta, and on the basis of studies and impact assessments that were actually carried out in 2007 – almost 10 years ago. Dr Thake admits he finds this concept disturbing. "This is a race against time. The first fundamental question to ask concerns the law of sup- ply and demand. What forces are instigating the need for high-rise in Malta? It is not an architec- tural question, of course. But for whom are these projects being designed? It is definitely not for the ordinary man in the street, or the general population. Are they intended primarily for commer- cial purposes, to cater for a de- mand for office space? If so, fine: we could carry out studies to de- termine how many square metres are needed, then designate an area to build two or three towers. One could argue that way…" Projects of the kind approved last Thursday, he suggests, ap- pear to be aimed at attracting foreign, high-end corporate firms to relocate to Malta. "Let's be honest: these are for the super-rich. They're not for lesser mortals. This in turn means they also generate high rental income, so it is quite a lu- crative business. But there is an element of speculation. It's like going to a Casino: you might win, but you might also lose. And it is also uncharted territory for Mal- ta: we have simply never played in this league or at this level be- fore. The first two projects to get off the ground might well suc- ceed. But for all we know, the rest might be flops. In the past six or seven months, there have been… how many? Around 10 applica- tions for high-rise projects? The probability of all of them suc- ceeding is a big question mark…" Speaking of question marks, there were several raised during Thursday's meeting. The Mrie- hel project, for instance, was ap- proved even if it didn't meet the minimum number of parking spaces necessitated by the Traffic Impact Assessment report. The land allocated for the project had been included in the draft policy after consultations had ended. In the case of the Sliema Towns- quare project, a leading geologist (Dr Peter Gatt) even warned that the stratum of rock under Qui Si Sana might not be strong enough to support a 38-storey tower. Yet the PA waved all objections aside, and granted the permits anyway… "The PA board, as you know, is composed of some government appointees, who I presume are there to represent the govern- ment's official policy. And gov- ernment policy is determined by MPs, who presumably vote according to what their party af- filiation requires of them. There are also independent members, one opposition representative, a representative for NGOs..." The latter two categories did in fact vote against, though it was not enough to halt the permits. Doesn't this suggest that the planning process itself is skewed in favour of the government? "That depends: do the govern- ment appointees vote in their own personal capacity, according to how they think… or do they vote according to the views of the government which appointed them?" This in turn raises another question: why should the gov- ernment even be involved, in a decision taken by a supposedly autonomous, independent au- thority, on an application filed by a private entrepreneur? "I would take it one step further back: what do we, as a nation, ac- tually want? What is our vision for the next 30, 40 years? Do we want to be a Dubai or a Singa- pore in the Mediterranean? The government never makes official statements to this effect, but the impression you get is that no surplus of business is bad for the country. So it's all about maxim- ising space…" Clearly missing from the equa- tion is any corresponding con- cern with the environmental impact of such projects, not to mention the quality of life of sur- rounding residential areas. "I wouldn't say it is a 'leap in the dark'; but for us, it is a bit of a leap into uncharted territory. We have to tread very cautiously, because we can't afford to make mistakes. In medicine, when your patient dies, you bury both the patient and your mistakes. But in architecture, the mistakes remain there for many, many years. My own personal belief is that it would have been much better if there was – sadly, I now have to say 'was', not 'is' – a mas- terplan, which identified the best possible location where to con- centrate a number of medium to high-rise buildings; and then tested the area for 10 or 20 years to see how the market reacts. At the end of the day, what is fuel- ling the need for high-rise is very ambiguous…" The pressures and require- ments of this new form of archi- tecture are likewise untested, he adds. "Our infrastructure is go- ing to have to rise to match, all of a sudden, this quantum leap we are making: underground public transport systems, issues related to civil protection… ba- sically, if there is an emergency or fire at greater heights than our firefighting capability can reach… then there are municipal services like waste and garbage collection. All very basic issues. I think there is a great disparity, at present, between the level of de- velopment of our infrastructure and public transport systems, in relation to what we are aspiring to build…" All this, Dr Thake continues, must be seen in the context of a more holistic vision. "As a na- tion, what kind of urban envi- ronment do we want to live in? I think there should be a general discussion, as an island state in the Mediterranean which is ex- periencing a certain degree of affluence… is this the direction we want to go? Is it just about economics, or is it also about our quality of life? I'm asking these questions, because at the end of the day there has to be some form of consensus among the population about the kind of en- vironment we want for ourselves, our children, and our grandchil- dren." Earlier, Dr Thake cited the lack of a 'masterplan'. The word ad- mittedly has a certain grandiose air about it… one is instantly re- minded of a certain Oasis song with rather pretentious lyrics. But in this particular context: what is a masterplan, anyway? What sort of document does he envisage? Here Dr Thake produces a copy of a report entitled 'High-Rise Buildings in Vienna'. "This is ba- sically a handbook, issued by the city of Vienna, which documents the main issues of how high-rise should be tackled. The reason I chose Vienna is that I didn't want to compare to Dubai or Singapore… Vienna is a historic European city, and its conserva- tion issues are more comparable to ours. I have highlighted a few of the main points… He reads a few excerpts aloud: "'Good accessibility by public transport is a prerequisite, as is Interview By Raphael Vassallo maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 AUGUST 2016 Is this the direction we want to go? I'm asking these questions, because at the end of the day there has to be some form of consensus about the kind of environment we want for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren DIRECTION Not part of a masterplan IMPROVISATION Where is the buck going to stop? I don't want to use the expression 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread'… but you cannot just rush headlong into the storm, and then improvise when problems arise