Architecture in post-independence Malta past, present and future

Abstract

In July 1969, five years after Malta’s Independence, the prestigious British architecture journal, The Architecture Review issued a special issue entitled MALTA – Past, Present and Future. The foreword by the journal’s editors commenced as follows: “Since Malta achieved independence many changes have come to the island and even greater changes are likely, largely owing to the growth of tourism. Since the run-down of the British naval base and dockyards, it has been increasingly evident in spite of some successes in the light industries, that the future economy of the island must largely depend on tourism and on the climatic and other attractions it offers to retired people and such like. This means a vast amount of building – of villas, hotels and pleasure facilities of all kinds – and the main problem facing Malta at the moment, a problem much of the building that has already taken place alarmingly illustrates, is how to prevent all these developments in aid of tourism from destroying the very attractions the tourist come to enjoy.” True, the aftermath of Malta’s Independence witnessed an unprecedented ‘building boom’ as the island embarked on an intensive building spree to cater for a flourishing up-market tourist industry. During the mid to late-sixties various hotels were built along some of the country's most scenic bays and sandy beaches, that is, besides the several up market hotels that were developed in the more urban areas of Malta. From an architectural standpoint, the immediate post-Independence era were exciting times – besides tourist accommodation, several new educational buildings in the form of primary and secondary schools were built in several towns and villages, a new university campus was developed and new industrial estates were established for an emerging manufacturing industry. It was not just the physical act of construction that was intriguing but the search for a new architectural identity that would reflect Malta’s new state in the aftermath of Independence.