‘Don’t bow to pressure’, KTP president tells new architects

The head of the Chamber of Architects (KTP) has warned new members of the profession that they will be pressured to compromise professional standards.

Andre Pizzuto delivered a speech to newly warranted architects and structural engineers earlier this week.

He said that in addition to time and cost pressures, new architects would face pressure “from clients who – some well-intentioned, others less so – may at times believe they understand your discipline better than you do.”

“In those moments, and they will come, you must find the resolve to uphold your professional standards. Not because it is easy, but because it is your obligation, and because the consequences of not doing so can be serious,” he said.

He stressed that compromising professional standards not only put the public at risk, but also the careers of those found to have breached them.

“The warrant you receive today is not a permanent entitlement; it is a trust placed in you by society, and it can be withdrawn.”

His warning comes at a time of renewed focus on the construction industry following the partial collapse of a multi-storey development in Naxxar.

Pizzuto noted that those who had appeared before KTP disciplinary hearings to answer allegations of gross negligence and professional misconduct included professionals with decades of experience.

You must find the resolve to uphold your professional standards

The KTP president also warned that the chamber was seeing an “increasingly worrying trend” of international firms providing architectural and structural engineering consultancy work without first applying for a temporary warrant.

“Let me be unambiguous on the legal position: it is a criminal offence to undertake architectural or civil engineering services in Malta without a warrant,” he said. “Non-residence in Malta does not exempt anyone from this obligation.”

Reminding attendees that they had passed examinations and assessments to obtain their warrant, Pizzuto said that those providing services from overseas were “not subjecting themselves to the same professional scrutiny and accountability as the rest of us”.

Turning to the drafting of new building and construction codes – a measure first proposed by the chamber in 2019 – Pizzuto said the KTP had finished drafting two out of the nine regulatory packages to be delivered by 2029.

He added that when the new codes were completed, they would bring Malta into line with “the most advanced jurisdictions in Europe”.

The KTP chief concluded by wishing attendees satisfying careers while expressing the hope they will “leave our country better than you found it”.