The Farsons Dissertation Award for Masters programmes in Conservation and Built Heritage was presented to two graduates in a ceremony held at the Valletta Campus on 15 March.

The Award celebrates excellence in the research conducted by students with the Department of Conservation and Built Heritage, and aims to encourage more research in the field of conservation and management of cultural heritage.

The Academic Evaluation Panel considered all 21 Masters dissertations completed between 2021 and 2023 with the Department on topics related to conservation or heritage. This year's joint Awardees are Jeremy Dimech, for his dissertation titled ‘Assessing the condition of limestone in a marine environment: the Qolla l-Bajda battery, Gozo: a case study’ and Sephora Schembri, for her dissertation titled ‘Re-evaluating demolition waste: environmental value in building materials’. Both graduates gave a brief overview of their research.

The award was presented by Mr Michael Farrugia, Deputy CEO of the Farsons Group, and Prof. Alex Torpiano, who this month steps down as Dean of the Faculty for the Built Environment.

In his address before announcing the Awardees, Mr Farrugia underlined the importance of more research on cultural heritage for planning sustainable futures. The Farsons Group has put this principle into practice, investing heavily in the conservation and adaptive reuse of the historic Brewery complex, renamed The Brewhouse, and recently opening the Farsons Brewery Experience to the public.