A Maltese architecture firm’s restoration of an 18th-century house in Naxxar is in contention for a global award.

AP Valletta’s Naxxar House project is one of five finalists in the Architecture+Stone category of the 2025 Architizer A+ Awards.

The project will compete against others from Mexico, China and the USA for the prize, which will be decided by the public through an online voting system.

The Naxxar House project involved renovating an 18th century palazzino by combining the resuse and restoration of historic structures with new features, such as a vertical stone screen on the property’s facade.

Project leader Rosanne Asciak said the team worked closely with their clients to address their requirements for their family home while preserving the property’s historic worth.

Photo: AP Valletta

“The sculpted stone façade gives the property a modest elegance – functional and contemporary, yet respectful of the property’s architectural heritage. The vertical planes of the stone screen become sculpted horizontal planes of the outdoor dining and pool decks within the garden the screen shields,” she said.

“We love the idea of applying the principles of scenography to architecture – light, scale, perspective – to convey mood or feeling,” said AP founding partner Konrad Buhagiar.

Architizer is one of the world's largest and most popular architecture-focused websites. The site hosts a vast database of architectural projects submitted by firms from around the globe, covering a wide range of building types and design approaches. 

It launched its A+ Awards in 2013 to celebrate prime examples of best architectural practices across the globe. 

Photo: AP Valletta

AP Valletta won one of the awards in the 2024 edition of the awards, with its collective portfolio earning it the title of Best Adaptive Reuse and Renovation Firm. 

The Naxxar House project is competing in the Architecture + Stone category against Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martinez (Mexico), Dong Lu Yuan (China), Dongqi Design (China), and Giulietti Schouten Weber Architects (USA).

The winners will be announced in June in New York.

To vote for the Naxxar House project, visit the Architizer website. Voting is open until May 16.