Plans for the late Victorian barracks at Fort Chambray to be dismantled, with the facade to be built elsewhere within the fort, fall far short of good conservation practice, the Malta committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) said on Wednesday.
The Planning Authority is due to take a decision on the application on Thursday. Developers also want to demolish 60 unfinished apartments and construct a hotel and new apartments in the resumption of a project that goes back decades.
"The mere retention of the outer shell of a building, while destroying the interior, - an action known as façadism - erases a large part of its historic value and cultural significance. Buildings are a functional whole, and their exterior may only be understood in relation to their interior," ICOMOS said.
Furthermore, the dismantling and removal of a building to a different location disturbed its relationship to its context, and diminished its legibility and significance. This particularly applied to a building with a military purpose built within a fortification.
"Real estate speculation cannot be considered a valid overriding consideration."
ICOMOS said the proposal before the PA was based on the premise that buildings at Fort Chambray dating from the Victorian period were less worthy of protection and preservation than buildings dating from the period of the Knights of Saint John.
"This downplays an important chapter in the history of the fort, and goes against a fundamental principle of conservation practice, that 'The valid contributions of all periods to the building of a monument must be respected...' (Article 11 of the Venice Charter).
"The proposed removal and partial destruction of the Late Victorian barracks building at Fort Chambray is therefore unnecessary and inadvisable, and runs counter to international charters and conventions."
It insisted that the building clearly has architectural, historic, typological, associative and functional values, and is an integral element of the significance and history of Fort Chambray itself.
It is a very early example of the concept of married quarters for military personnel, not only in Malta but across the British Empire. The building clearly merits scheduling and was comparable to the Verdala Barracks in Cottonera, which are protected with Grade 1 scheduling, as an integral component of British period reuse and adaptation of the Knights' period fortifications.
Conservators, restorers back ICOMOS-MAlta
The Malta Association of Professional Conservator-Restorers (MAPCo-Re) backed ICOMOS-Malta) in a statement on Wednesday.
"Preserving only the exterior of a building while altering its interior - often referred toas 'façadism' - diminishes its historical and cultural significance. A building's value encompasses both its interior and exterior, as each informs the other," the association said.
Meanwhile, "relocating a building alters its contextual relationship and undermines its significance, particularly for a structure with a military history within a fortification. Such actions should only be considered in exceptional circumstances, not for real estate development."
The association added that the notion that Victorian structures at Fort Chambray deserve less preservation than earlier buildings overlooked an important era in the fort's history and contradicted conservation principles that advocated for the appreciation of contributions from all periods.
Removing and partially demolishing the Late Victorian barracks was considered unjustifiable and contrary to international conservation standards.
The building held considerable architectural, historical, and functional significance, representing early military housing concepts in Malta and beyond.
The association noted that, on the contrary, it warranted scheduling similar to the Grade 1 protected Verdala Barracks.
"MAPCo-Re strongly encourages relevant authorities to carefully reconsider this proposal and delay any decisions until a comprehensive study and scheduling of the building can be conducted, ensuring the best interests of Malta's cultural heritage are preserved."