Typical marine construction in Malta

Abstract

For a country the size of Malta, the amount of development works that have gone on over the years borders on the colossal. I have in mind various masterpieces such as the temples, palaces, churches, and houses of antiquity. However, one must not overlook other edifices, which though not as prestigious architecturally, have been constructed with bewildering rapidity down the centuries, earning this small island the reputation of being one of the most densely-built countries world-wide. A direct consequence of this massive development has been a noticeable lack of open space, which can only be provided by open parks, etc. Nature, however, or, to be more specific, geography, has dealt the Maltese Islands a wonderful helping hand in this regard, by surrounding them with "oceans" of open sea. Because of the sheer lack of size of the Islands the clear, fresh air from the sea-breezes is easily and profusely available to all and sundry. Compared with the development works that have taken place inland, however, and considering the long, and mostly developable stretches of coast-line, the incidence of construction works bordering our shores, has been remarkably meagre. In fact, had it not been for the several projects carried out post-1950, apart from the construction of the naval dockyard during the early stages of the British occupation and the breakwater arms outside Grand Harbour at the turn of the century, there were little or no notable works despite Malta's strategic position in the centre of the Mediterranean. In the years following the early 50's, the great imbalance between the construction works on and off shore began to be less marked as several marine works projects finally took off.