The Valletta Design Cluster
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
The Valletta Design Cluster project is a regeneration project of a 17th Century building which had been abandoned for the last 30 years and rehabilitated into a Valletta Design Cluster which is a community space for cultural and creative practice. The project helped to rescue from obsolescence the building whilst regenerating a whole node within the city which had been abandoned, whilst also creating a roof garden to be enjoyed by the users of building and public in general.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
The project embraces the rehabilitation of an old derelict building in the lower area of Valletta and
conversion to premises for startups in design.
This Grade 1 building used to house an abattoir at the early stages of its erection during the 17 th century. Following a number of other uses at the end of the last century the building had eight ovens within the spaces which used to function as bakeries. The passage of time on the monument was respected throughout the rehabilitation of the space.
The building needed a major overhaul since more than eighty per cent of its roofs had caved in during
the years it was left in disrepair. A major restoration project of the facades of all the elevations of
the Valletta Design Cluster and third party government building close by were also carried out in
order to have a wholistic regeneration on the surrounding areas being a very run down area. Thus,
the project also involved the taking up and relaying of all the services and street paving of the streets
around the Valletta Design Cluster, and this helped in the regeneration of the whole node.
The concept of the design cluster was to respect the original building material however, it was important
to find a balance to be able to have a functional building, adequate for the small entrepreneurs and
start ups in the design sectors. Each and every space was designed for multiple usage and also
flexibility for the needs of different designers.
All the finishes and mechanical and electrical services throughout the building were carried out and left surface in order to avoid heavy chasing within the historic fabric of the edifice which gave the building a raw and industrial look to match the use.
Since the building is very low lying compared to the adjacent, gave rise to the idea of creating a roof
garden on the roof of the Valletta Design cluster which is an addition of a green space with a varied
ecosystem to the historic city in a space where it is highly dens
Key objectives for sustainability
Roof Garden
- It creates an insulation barrier to the first floor rooms ( cooling effect), thus less energy is needed to heat and cool the upper floors.
- Choice of plants was studied – Mediterranean plants were as they require little irrigation and less maintenance
- Creating an eco-system within an Urban context
Use of Natural Lighting
Due to the fact that the building is low lying and in very narrow streets, the amount of natural lighting within the building was limited.
- Introduced natural lighting through the side passageways.
- main doors were designed to have double doors with outside doors which can be left open and the inner ones having glass to maximise natural light.
Movable openable canopy over the courtyard:
- creates a usable space even in adverse weather conditions,
- can open up to maximise ventilation.
- The canopy has sensors which help in closing automatically in case of sensing rain.
- Since the roof was used as a roof garden, it was felt that photovoltaic panels could still be integrated within the glass panels of the openable canopy
Two large cisterns were found underlying the building. They were cleaned, restored and water collected from the roofs is being used for irrigation of the roof garden and also for grey water usage with the building.
All the lighting within the building
- designed with LEDs in order to reduce the energy consumption
- building is all controlled with a Building Management System
- roof garden has been designed with low levels of lighting in order to avoid light pollution and annoyance to the residents
Moreover the restoration processes:
- Reycling of stone and other materials like reuse of cement tiles
- The use of lime can be considered one of the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly material.
- the design of the Valletta Design Cluster was carried out to have maximum flexibility in the use of space. This also creates energy efficiency due to maximising space
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The main objective of the project was to rescue from obsolescence due to neglect and given a new lease of life through sensitive adaptive reuse to this Grade 1 building. Therefore the targets were to restore and conserve the building whilst still giving a new compatible use to the building. Thus the spaces were carefully studied in order to be able to make use of the spaces wisely without damaging much of the original structure. All the new interventions are clearly identifiable by the use of modern materials including steel and glass, and also the use of energy saving materials. The key objective was to be able to give the possibility for the users to be able to relate to the old building and its history and at the same time make use of the building in a modern and playful way.
The building final use was to be a design cluster for startups in design and therefore the spaces needed to be able to function for the use of the artists and at the same time create spaces where designers and workers can work together, and share ideas. The design of the building therefore rotates on the creation of open spaces where persons can easily meet including the main courtyard within the building which is being used as the main street within the building. Also the provision of a food space within the building since it was identified that people do interact better around food. The design of a roof garden creating a public open space that can be enjoyed by people making use of the building and the public in general equally for recreational use.
Since the final use can be considered as a semi industrial use, the passing of services within the building were left completely surface and thus this also gave rise to a more industrial feel within the building. Even the use of metalwork within the building gave also a more raw look to the space.
Key objectives for inclusion
The client of the project was the Valletta Cultural Agency who prior to the implementation of the project took the time to consult extensively with the end users, the community stakeholders, consisting of residents, businesses, NGOs and other civil society actors having direct links to the Biccerija Area in Valletta. This created a mutually enriching modus vivendi within the Valletta Design Cluster and its neighbourhood and the stakeholders felt that their contribution was valid. The Valletta Cultural Agency also took into consideration all the concerns that the residential community put forward and even provided some changes to the original design of the Valletta Design Cluster in order to implement some of their suggestions.
One of the suggestions put forward by the residential community of Valletta was the need for more open spaces since they felt that Lower Valletta was lacking in green area. This was integrated with the Valletta design Cluster project by providing a roof garden. This roof garden is open to the public in general and thus giving accessibility to more open spaces within the urban fabric.
Also the Cluster is also a space where they are continuously promoting the use of the space by NGOs within the Valletta society and in such a way the Valletta Design Cluster presents a unique opportunity to maximise the social, economic, cultural and environmental opportunities that characterise the creative industries.
All the common areas, offices, multipurpose hall and roof garden within the building are fully accessible for all, even though the site was a very challenging one with extensive dislevels between various areas.
The project also promotes the use of the space by different users and from different strata of the society all driven by the force of design.
Results in relation to category
The Valletta Design Cluster is an inspirational example of the regeneration of a rundown area of Valletta where through the proper documentation, study of the previous uses, and the help of the community within the design stage, it was possible to get enough information on the quality of life within the area, the sense of community within the space and reintegrate it within the building. The fact that things like ovens of the previous bakeries were integrated within the design, also gave a sense of continuation of previous community life within the building.
The fact that the Valletta community was continuously kept in the loop of the project, they gave their maximum input for the regeneration of the whole area and feel that they benefitted the most from the project.
Clear indicators of the project are firstly the restored building within the area, creating a safer area to live in, and frequent. The fact that the streets around the building were also regenerated, also gives a better sense of ownership within the space and the residents can now connect better to the space. Also we have seen commercial outlets opening up close to this area where previously this area of Valletta was void of any commercial activity.
How Citizens benefit
The Valletta residential community was reached out at the initial stages of the project so that they would given any information including photos, memorablia and even verbal recounts of the area under question. This was done since the area under question was in use till the 1980's when at that time they had carried out a slum clearance project and the building was going to be demolished to make space for a housing project. However, this never materialised and the building laid in disrepair and vacant for over 30 years. For this we got a large number of interest from various persons clearly explaining the way of living within the area during the 20th Century.
The project continued with organising unconference within the nearby streets where the Valletta residents were invited for an outdoor activity asking them for their ideas on the area and the proposals which were being done for the Valletta Design Cluster. It was through one of these activities which gave the idea of integrating a roof garden within the project, which in reality was taken up and carried out and is now a very favourable place within the area.
The civil society were also involved all throughout the implementation and were kept in the loop of all the activities that were taking place during the execution. Apart from the civil society even the end users that is the designers were also continuously kept within the design and implementation period in order to be sure that their needs were being addressed.
The Cluster’s position with the Pilot Area for urban regeneration in Valletta coupled with its focus on user- and citizen-centred design activity, opens unique opportunities for government to implement its agenda for the re-invigoration of derelict heritage-based sites through social and economic activity that valorises such spaces and sites at the heart of the community.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
In conservation projects the respect to the original materials and reversibility of interventions is very crucial. In this project wherever we had the original spaces being rebuilt due to collapse, these were carried out using same materials in order to be able to retain the information for future generations. However, all the new interventions and additions are clearly distinctive by making use of modern materials, that is lightweight structures using glass and steelwork. This was the case for the lightweight passageway and bridges that were created to access the two distinctive wings within the building. Even the vertical connection that was created to access the different levels was also designed using steelwork and hardstone. The courtyard was roofed over using steel structure and glass which can open up during favourable weather and the glass is integrated with Photo voltaic panels.
The services were all applied on the surface of the stone walls in such a way avoiding the chasing of the walls and roofs for the passing of all the new services On first floor level, since most of the rooms have a lightweight gypsum lining and the services pass behind this lining in order to be screened. This makes the interventions carried out due to the services all reversible without damaging the original fabric. Even all the cabling for air conditioners and data, were all passed surface on the side passages on cable trays. This gives the building a semi-industrial look, which is fitting to the original uses of the building.
The upper rooms due to the fact that the rooms would be used by varied designers and needed to have flexibility in use, they were lined with gypsum so that they would be easily cleaned, repainted between different users.
Learning transferred to other parties
The Valletta Design Cluster project proved to be a very good example of how good public and civil society involvement in a project can help in a better sense of belonging and ownership of a project and thus would finally achieve a win-win situation in projects.
The Valletta Cultural Agency can help to give a clear communication methodology carried out throughout the project and could help also in the extracting the necessary information from these meetings with the civil society.
