Electrical and lighting solutions companies ESS and Elektra, in collaboration with two of their most innovative brands, SLV and Bega, are sponsoring the XVII Architectural Heritage Awards Competition, one of the many initiatives by Din l-Art Ħelwa to encourage and motivate architectural best practice.

The companies said they decided to sponsor the awards as they felt that they reflected their own values of innovation, sustainability and quality. Their generous donation will enable DLĦ to raise the profile of the competition, at a time when best practice case studies will serve as an inspiration to new projects.

“We are truly honoured to stand alongside Din l-Art Ħelwa in championing the remarkable projects being celebrated in this prestigious event. These endeavours not only exhibit exceptional architectural significance but, more importantly, serve as custodians of our collective identity and cultural heritage,” Duncan Agius, ESS and Elektra managing director, said.

We hope to elevate this vital initiative

“As inaugural sponsors alongside two of our brands, SLV and Bega, we hope to elevate this vital initiative, creating a legacy that aligns with our commitment to preserving and promoting our heritage.”

The jury for this year was chaired by DLĦ council member Maria Grazia Cassar, together with architects Joanna Spiteri Staines and Patrick Calleja and professor Antonio Mollicone, as well as renowned architect Nick Bewick.

“Din l-Art Ħelwa’s Architectural Heritage Awards are meant by us to celebrate good design as well as respect for our cultural heritage; it is, therefore, an award celebrating quality. We are very happy that ESS and two renowned brands represented by ESS have recognised this quest for quality and have sought to be associated with it,” DLĦ executive president Alex Torpiano said.

The results of the competition will be announced on Tuesday, December 5, with prizes awarded to three categories: the regeneration of an area; the adaptation of historical buildings to new uses; and the restoration and/or conservation of buildings. Projects can relate either to a single building, a complex of buildings or to a historic urban environment or townscape.

The ‘Judge Maurice Caruana Curran Award’, named after the DLĦ’s founder, will be awarded to the best winner overall in all categories.  The competition is held with the support of the Kamra tal-Periti.