In Malta’s daily construction routine, developers often seek to add new floors to existing buildings, but one student has done the opposite by reimagining a landscape where floors are subtracted from buildings rather than added.

For a University of Malta assignment exploring the sociological dynamics of spaces, Julian Axisa spent time visiting the area around Dock 1, in Cospicua and observing how the space is used.

He examined the history of the so-called Knights’ Building, which dates back to at least the 1600s and includes a British-era addition of a third floor to support their expanding operation in the area. The building lay unused for decades until the American University of Malta proposed adding yet another floor as part of their expansion plans.

Julian Axisa ‘removed’ the third floor of the so-called Knights’ Building, in Cospicua, giving a clearer view of the bastions. Photo: Julian Axisa

However, the American University of Malta’s fourth floor expansion plans were controversial and ultimately rejected by the Planning Authority in 2019. The education minister at the time declared that the entity would not be allowed to take up more land until its enrollment numbers called for it.

This sparked an idea, Axisa told Times of Malta. If the people of Cottonera felt they were losing something should the Knights’ Building be extended, could removing a layer bring a gain? He has envisaged removing “the British layer” to “give people a better view of the Senglea bastions.”

In his assignment, he created a composite image using Google Earth and imagination to illustrate his point.

“The deadlock debate has left the Knights’ building unused and unoccupied; just a relic of the past without a sustained future,” Axisa said. He argues that a compromise might be possible to breathe new life into the dilapidated building.

The Knights' Building as it stands today. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

“If AUM were to revise the infrastructure master plan to provide locals with greater visibility of the historical skyline, it might encourage further progress in discussions,” he said.

For now, however, the building remains a “memento of the past” while others around it have evolved significantly through time.

“Different actors, who possess economic, social and/or political capital have shaped the area into what it is now,” he said. “Presently, no force has won the battle over the future of the Knights’ Building.”