In February 1915, Lord Methuen was appointed Governor of Malta. His term of office spanned a period of great affluence in the Maltese islands due the presence of the British fleet, which, however, also brought with it an increase in the cost of living.

This was coupled with a certain degree of turmoil of the post-war period and disruptions in agriculture and industry across the continent, which led to increasing levels of unemployment and grave difficulties en­countered by the colonial government to provide an adequate supply of basic food for the islands. By the end of Methuen’s term in April 1919, civil unrest began to rear its head and things were getting out of hand.

Field Marshall Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer was next in line but was only due to arrive in June, which meant that there was a vacuum of power for a few fateful weeks.

It was, in fact, while Plumer was sailing to Malta that the Sette Giugno riots erupted. He landed in Malta just three days later, on June 10, 1919, and was immediately faced with the aftermath of the uprising – as one can imagine, a particularly delicate situation and one that needed to be handled with skill and diplomacy.

Governor Plumer set to work immediately. Between setting foot on the shores at Grand Harbour at 9.30am and noon of the same day, he had received a delegation of Maltese, listened to them and inspired them with the confidence that their grievances would be heard and acted upon. He managed to defuse a tense situation and conditions gradually returned to normal.

By August 1919, the National Assembly had drafted a Constitution whereby a local government would deal with local matters, such as civil legislation, public instruction and finance, while items of Imperial interest would be dealt with by Westminster. By 1921, Malta was granted self-government.

So, why is this all relevant? Because amidst the turmoil that Plumer found when he first landed here on June 10, and August 1919, when the Constitution came into force, Plumer also managed to fit in the promulgation of the Architects Ordinance, which came into force just over 100 years ago, on July 25, 1919.

Among other things it stipulated that: “No person shall exercise the profession of Land Surveyor and Architect unless he is authorised by the Governor by warrant.”

And that: “A conviction by any competent tribunal, for any crime liable to punishment of death, of hard labour for any period or of imprisonment exceeding one year, shall be a cause of perpetual disquali­fication to exercise the profession.”

The ordinance also repealed the Government Notice of June 14, 1856, thus laying the foundation stones of the profession as we know it today.

This, very interestingly, followed on from a resolution of the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Istituto dei Periti Architetti held on September 30, 1914.

The Kamra tal-Periti is committed to continue to push for positive change in the industry

The Istituto had resolved that: “In view of deplorable tragedies that have repeatedly occurred resulting in the collapse of construction works without the direction of an architect, it is necessary to submit for the consideration of the Head of Government the urgency that he order that: (a) no building permit for development works or other construction works be entertained that are not endorsed by an architect, and (b) it is not permitted for anyone to erect, in whole or in part, buildings without the direction of an architect.”

So really a case of plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Here we are, a hundred years later, facing similar challenges as our professional ancestors did. This time round, three buildings collapsed in alarmingly quick succession and highlighted what the Kamra tal-Periti has described as a crisis in the industry.

These buildings did not collapse be­cause there was no perit directing the works, but rather they collapsed despite there being a perit to direct the works. A perit, operating in an industry which is grossly underregulated, with a severe lack of appropriately qualified operatives on sites. An industry which is also marked, in certain cases, by the slackness of contractors and, sadly, also by the profession.

These incidents led the Prime Minister to declare a halt to all demolition and excavation works, and later, on June 25, to the promulgation of a new Legal Notice regarding the Avoidance of Damage to Third Party Property.

Writing in The Sunday Times of Malta, Christopher Grech described the new governor Field Marshall Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, who was on the way to Malta when the Sette Giugno riots erupted, as: “… something of a Colonel Blimp… a far cry from the popular image of a war hero. And yet he proved to be the man for the moment: a tested leader of men, kindly, resolute and fearless. Having just relinquished command of the Army of Occupation in Germany he was experienced in the handling of strikes and demonstrations.” Plumer brought in the Architects Ordinance.

The hasty manner in which this Legal Notice was drafted and its immediate coming into force without adequate consultation shocked the industry. Work at many construction sites had to be halted until developers, contractors and professionals alike could review the impact of the Legal Notice on existing, as well as future, works, and until the industry could adapt to the new requirements imposed.

Practically a whole month of, at times very heated, discussions, negotiations, meetings with various stakeholders, press releases, articles, media appearances and sleepless nights ensued.

Thankfully, thanks to the participation of various stakeholders and the government’s receptiveness to our requests, we can now look forward to positive changes in the coming months – changes which will bring the industry and the profession firmly into the 21st century.

The industry is faced with practices that are far from acceptable. From issues of site safety, the problem of unregulated workforces, including the exploitation of foreign nationals, and, sadly enough, an unacceptable number of fatalities which are, all too often, swept under the carpet because the victim was not Maltese.

Not to mention a series of wider issues such as the lack of proper planning and what appears to be a complete lack of awareness of the importance of natural landscapes also within our built-up areas.

The Kamra tal-Periti is committed to continue to push for positive change in the industry. It has been at the forefront in putting forward its proposals and offering its full collaboration to the government to ensure that such change takes place.

The Kamra tal-Periti is, moreover, committed to promoting quality in the built environment. As part of its efforts in this regard, it held the second edition of the Premju Emanuele Luigi Galizia, with the awards being announced on July 25, marking a century to the date from the coming into force of the Architects Ordinance.

The Premju Galizia acknowledges the sterling work of our current crop of professionals in all fields ranging from architecture, to urban regeneration and interiors. Unfortunately, this year’s entries in the Civil Engineering category were not deemed to be up to scratch by the jury, so there I must express a small note of disappointment that this aspect of the profession was not featured in this year’s awards.

The Premju Galizia also includes a category for Emerging Practices in recognition of and as a means of encouragement for the younger generation of professionals, to­gether with two new categories introduced this year, one for the best international project carried out by a locally warranted perit and another for a multi-dwelling project consisting of more than three units. The latter award seeks to highlight that flatted dwellings can also be well-designed, and to expose beauty also in this typology of building.

The Premju Galizia also marked the beginning of a year of celebration for the profession, starting with the commemoration of the Architects’ Ordinance and closing with the commemoration of the establishment of the Kamra tal-Periti’s predecessor, the Chamber of Architects, which took place on June 12, 1920.

Never before was it more important to celebrate the quality that the profession already contributes to society as a beacon of hope for a more sustainable future, centred on the improvement of the quality of life of all citizens.

Simone Vella Lenicker is president of Kamra tal-Periti.