Local architecture and interior design studio longlisted for international prize for two renovation projects

A local architecture and interior design studio has been longlisted for an international prize at this year’s edition of the Dezeen Awards, considered a benchmark for international design excellence.

Atelier Maison, which was founded in 2014 by architects Paula Agius-Vadalà and Katja Abela, is in the run for the Emerging Interior Design Studio of the year with two of their latest completed projects – The Sacred Auditorium and The Student’s Chapel.

The Sacred Auditorium, which underwent a five-year-long renovation project, is found at the headquarters of the  Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM) in Blata l-Bajda, while The Student’s Chapel forms part of St Dorothy’s Senior School in Żebbuġ.

The concept of the auditorium was fairly simple, but the studio, which had only been established for a year before they were engaged to take on this project, faced several challenges to turn this concept into reality.

“The clients wanted the auditorium to act as a congregational space which would be both functional and beautiful − one that would work from a technical point of view, while it could move someone on a spiritual level.

“Therefore, it was a constant balancing act to ensure that our aesthetic vision for the space would remain, while consulting with engineers to ensure that the space would technically perform,” Abela says.

Since the structure, which covers around 950 square metres, was built in the 1950s, there were some construction issues that had to be resolved before the renovation works commenced. The proposed design itself presented a number of difficulties: it was made up of a number of curves radiating from different points, which made the works complicated to execute, and the around 3,500 copper pipes making up the ceiling were difficult to source. When the latter finally arrived from China, the next challenge was to suspend them in place. Here is where the community spirit prevailed.

“The client was really involved in the works of the project, and in order to suspend the copper pipes, around seven to 10 members of the community would be present on site, all helping to suspend each and every pipe. I guess this is also something really special about this project − that so many people gave a helping hand to get the result we have today,” Abela enthuses.

Agius-Vadalà adds that in order to better understand the space, they got in touch with older members of the society who were involved in the auditorium’s original construction.

Architects Paula Agius-Vadalà (right) and Katja Abela established their studio, Atelier Maison, in 2014. Photo: Alexandra Pace

“Throughout the works, the members helping out would tell us that in years to come they would be the ones to tell future generations that they were involved in this renovation. This displayed the sense of pride among the members. This pro­ject is part of the evolving story of this religious community,” she says.

This project is part of the evolving story of this religious community

The copper wave ceiling was indeed the starting point of the studio’s inspiration for this project.

“During discussions at the office, I remember bringing up Thomas Heatherwick’s Seed Cathedral, which was an amazingly shaped pavilion made up of thousands of individual elements. From afar it looked like a furry block. The effect was fantastic and we wanted to try and create something inspired by that for the vast ceiling,” Agius-Vadalà notes.

“We also wanted to use natural materials that would stand the test of time, but also use modern technology to alter their appearance,” Abela continues.

“A case in point are the curved travertine walls that embrace the lower level of the auditorium. These walls make the lower level of the space feel as though it was carved out of stone, while a pixelated pattern is perforated through them. The pattern was created using water jets and appears more dense around the stage, and fades out as it travels towards the back of the auditorium. This represents the distribution of information from the speaker to the audience.”

A detail of one of the concept sketches of The Sacred Auditorium in Blata l-Bajda. Photo: Atelier Maison

The feedback received since the project’s completion has been “very positive and encouraging,” say the duo who won the Emerging Architect award at the Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning Awards 2019.

“A project like this is the reason why we chose to be architects. It is extremely satisfying when you see a project evolve from a simple sketch to a 3D visual, to actual reality. If you had to see the concept sketches, the space turned out almost exactly the same. And this goes to show how when everyone involved pulls the same rope, you can achieve really great results,” Abela points out.

“This project was like our baby for the past five years, so being recognised for this project through winning the Emerging Architect Award, and then being nominated for the Dezeen Award is such a huge honour and achievement for us as a practice. We are a small team of architects who have massive drive and passion for design, and these kinds of things really motivate us to keep doing what we are doing.”

The Student’s Chapel at St Dorothy’s Senior School, Żebbuġ, before (top) and after the renovation. The team at Atelier Maison made use of the play of geometric shapes, pastel shades of lavender and vanilla and three-dimensional planes to create a beautiful space for prayer and reflection. Photos: Marilyn Camenzuli

Working on The Student’s Chapel brought back fond memories to Agius-Vadalà of her time as a student at St Dorothy’s.

The space they had to redesign was a garage-like space made up of four walls and two large windows overlooking the school playground. The budget was limi­ted but the possibilities were endless.

“Being a church school, the staff really thought that the school deserved a beautiful sacred space, a tranquil space, that both students and staff could use to escape in prayer and reflection,” Agius-Vadalà says.

The studio decided to redefine the interior architecture of the room by introducing a number of layers.

“Each layer appears to be isolated, and each is perforated with geometric shapes like arches and squares, while giving the illusion of depth. Two sloping planes draw your eye to the focal point − the altar,” Abela remarks.

“The seating is positioned to appear like it is radiating out from this same focal point. In this way, anyone who is present in the room feels included, as though they are part of the ongoing service.”

These two projects perfectly represent Atelier Maison’s vision, that of focusing on innovative ideas in the form of custom designs and attention to detail, while looking at architecture holistically. This is translated through the balance of form and volumes, timeless materials, colour and geometry, which all unite as part of  new contemporary architecture.

For Atelier Maison, which is currently involved in a number of residential projects, new contemporary architecture should be an “architecture of hope” – one which is responsibly designed and that gives a worthy past to future generations.

Agius-Vadalà gives the definition of hope as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen”.

“Therefore, when you hope for something, you are looking into the future to be better than the present. So ‘architecture of hope’ is a term we came up with during the lockdown, when things were looking quite dire and uncertain for everyone. However, pandemic or no pandemic, as architects we feel we have a responsibility to the public at large to create spaces ‒ whether internal or external, whether large-scale or humble − that people enjoy using and look forward to using again and again,” she says.

Her colleague adds: “Architects are the people who shape your surroundings and this should be done with vision and passion, responsibility and quality.”