Valentino Architects and curator Ann Dingli have introduced a proposal to retrofit a historic fortification on the Venice Structure Biennale to counsel various strategies of conservation within the face of Malta’s speedy growth.

Curated by Dingli, the small-scale exhibition was a part of the Time House Existence showcase and featured an abstracted plan to retrofit the Seventeenth-century watchtower on the north-eastern shore of Malta.

“The Għallis watchtower in isolation just isn’t remarkably important – it has been vacant for years,” Dingli instructed Dezeen. “But it surely belongs to a community of micro-fortifications that had been constructed alongside the sting of the islands within the Seventeenth century and inform part of the islands’ wider army story.”

“At present the tower is a marker alongside the coast and never way more,” she continued. “The purpose of the exhibition is to re-charge its significance by introducing new usability and graduating it from only a visible landmark to a liveable house.”

With its proposal, the group suggests altering using the constructing to create a multi-use construction that may be utilised in quite a few methods.

“The design reverses the unique nature of the tower – conceived as a fortress designed to maintain folks out – to an inclusive constructing that invitations folks in,” defined Valentino Architects.

“Its programme is versatile, adapting to 3 permutations that enable for various levels of personal use and public entry.”

The tower was showcased on the biennale to attract consideration to a wider problem dealing with Malta – the commercialisation of its historic buildings.

The group aimed to display that historic buildings may very well be transformed into useable constructions reasonably than being restored as empty monuments.

“Heritage structure in Malta has a powerful give attention to preservation of constructing material and fewer so on practical innovation,” stated Dingli.

“This implies heritage buildings fairly often serve one programme – normally as museums of themselves or as institutional buildings – and consequently turn into inaccessible or redundant to on a regular basis use,” she continued.

“This design strikes away from heritage as a product and in direction of heritage as helpful house.”

The group hopes that the exhibition will draw consideration to the speedy growth of Malta, which it says is occurring on the expense of the nation’s present buildings.

“The islands are on a seemingly unstoppable trajectory of hyper-development,” defined Dingli. “Malta is essentially the most densely populated nation within the EU, and one of the crucial densely populated international locations on this planet.”

“Its constructed setting hasn’t met this depth with the correct mix of retrofit and newbuild growth – the previous exists in excessive shortage, regardless of an enormous inventory of present constructing material crying out to be re-used in smarter methods,” she continued.

Though the exhibition focuses on a historic fortification, the group believes that prioritising reuse over rebuilding must be applied throughout the nation.

“The argument for conservation must be prolonged to any type of constructing inventory, not simply heritage buildings,” defined Valentino Architects.

“Demolishing present buildings to make approach for brand spanking new ones is sort of by no means sustainable,” they continued. “When there isn’t a various however to take away a constructing, we have to advocate for dismantling versus demolishing.”

“Supplies resembling Malta’s native yellow limestone – which has historically carved out the architectural id of our island – is a finite useful resource that must be each protected and used,” they added.

Alongside the Għallis exhibition, the Time House Existence present introduced work by architects, designers and artists from 52 completely different international locations in venues throughout the town. These included a tea home constituted of meals waste and a concrete emergency housing prototype developed by the Norman Foster Basis and Holcim.

The images is by Federico Vespignani.

Time House Existence takes place from 20 Could to 26 November 2023 at numerous places throughout Venice, Italy. See Dezeen Occasions Information for an up-to-date listing of structure and design occasions happening around the globe.