malta Archives – Page 19 of 35

Time to evolve

Urban areas suffer from crippling traffic issues and gross water wastage. The University of Malta could become a living experiment to test innovative solutions to these problems. Words by Natasha Padfield.

New designs for better streets

By Dr Antoine Zammit

Urban development in Malta has undergone an exponential growth in the past decades. This is a growth that has often been imposed indiscriminately within long-established and tightly knit streets, and worsened by a lack of urban design approaches by investors and politicians alike. The Maltese planning system has only reacted to economic and market conditions instead of trying to foresee them, and consecutive governments have simply sought to stimulate the construction industry further. In addition, none of the policies produced by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) have to date been urban design-oriented. The planning system has been overloaded with a plethora of policies that however fail to consider the street—arguably the most important spatial scale within the Maltese urban environment.Continue reading

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Irrid immur id-dar — I want to go home

The government recently published an evidence-based national strategy for dementia which recommends that all buildings should be designed in a dementia-friendly way. Dr Claude Bajada speaks to Perit Alexia Mercieca and Dr Charles Scerri to find out more.

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Marsa 2050

By Dr Rebecca Dalli Gonzi

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A periti education

By Prof. Alex Torpiano, Dean, Faculty for the Built EnvironmentContinue reading

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Literature will break your heart

Dr David Vella interviews Dr James Corby to find out how literature can help you face tragedy in your life. Illustrations by Sonya Hallett.

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Rumble, rumble, toil and tumble

Parking is a high priority for Maltese homeowners and, as a result of this, garages are becoming compulsory in new buildings. What does this have to do with earthquakes? Dr Claude Bajada meets earthquake engineers Dr Marc Bonello, Dr Reuben Borg, and Perit Petra Sapiano to find out.

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National Excellence

My 100 word idea to change Malta by Prof. Frank Camilleri

To see the details, to hear the sounds, to taste the flavours, to smell the scents, to feel the textures of the urban and rural environments, ecologies, and cultures that constitute the material assemblage called Malta. To be aware of the histories, to be respectful of the diversities, to be participant in the trajectories that have shaped, are shaping, and will shape the movement called Malta. In concrete terms, to improve Malta through the appreciation of who and where we are, which can only be achieved through the aspiration for excellence in every aspect of society. In other words, education.

2015 education Frank Camilleri malta national excellence think Think Magazine

Engineering modern life

From improving life quality to solar panels that decrease temperature, researchers at the Department of Environmental Design in the Faculty for the Built Environment (University of Malta) have come up with some ingenious ideas to strengthen modern building design. Natasha Padfield learns more.