GasanMamo headquarters to expand on neighbouring block

The Planning Authority approved a seven-storey high contemporary building on the corner between Msida Road and Enrico Mizzi Street in Gżira, after it was recommended for approval by the PA’s case officer.

The bulky development will replace both the existing Gasanmamo Insurance building, and an adjacent residential block facing the old Stadium, and another block on Enrico Mizzi Street.

The new building will have seven overlying floors of offices, with a three-storey basement parking for 57 cars.

The PA had already approved the development on a smaller site back in 2019 but now it is being extended to incorporate a former residential block.

The site is opposite the excavated plot for the proposed 33-storey high Metropolis tower, and is characterised by a row of uniform blocks of unremarkable post-war architecture – the PA’s case officer remarked the building lacked any architectural merits worth preserving.

But the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage called for the integration of the existing building’s facade within the proposed development, due to its historical importance in “defining” this part of Gzira.

The PA’s planning directorate concluded that “a symmetrical design” was required in order to render the corner building a landmark one.

The new building, designed by architect Malcolm Xuereb, will retain the round-shaped façade which characterises the present Gasanmamo building, and although bulkier will not be substantially higher than the present building.

The case officer concludes that as proposed, the  new building will “complement the ongoing changes to the Gzira-Msida skyline” making it “a destination of choice” as a business hub.

The case officer also commended the high-quality design of the proposed building, whose last floor will characterised by a cantilever that provides a clear termination to the building and “a high-quality outdoor space for the users of the building itself.”