The A design awards were announced on April 30 and Edwin Mintoff Architects were awarded the prestigious Golden A' Design Award for the Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Category in 2019 for the British Building in Cospicua, part of the AUM campus. 

This 19th century building was severely damaged during WWII and later fell into disuse and disrepair. Through the design interventions of EM Architects, the building was given a new lease of life with a renewed purpose. 

As well as restoring the historic fabric in a meticulous fashion, the overall building was also rehabilitated in order to usher the structure into the current age while at the same time managing to highlight its stunning historic elements. The guiding principle behind this project remained the act of revealing this heritage building as a protagonist of design.  

The objective behind the A' Design Award Competition is to showcase the best designs in all creative disciplines and industries on an international level. This competition is the world’s largest and most diverse design award. All entries are evaluated by an international jury and each year more than 2,000 designs are submitted, from more than 100 countries.  

Such awards are recognised to be of exceptional esteem and it is a tremendous honour that a Maltese project was selected as the winner. 

EM Architects are joined by other prestigious architectural firms who won awards in different architectural categories, such as Aedas and GOA (Group of Architects) among others. The laureates will now be celebrated at a gala ceremony in Como, Italy, with an opportunity to become part of the exclusive ‘Best Designs of the Year’ exhibit.

Last year, EM Architects were also awarded the European Prix Versailles for design of Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour.