No wind studies for Gzira tower

When wind hits a tall building it can be pushed down towards the pavement where it swirls around and creates wind tunnels.

It’s called the Venturi Effect or Downwash – chairs and glasses can be literally blown off tables due to the changes in wind conditions although the effect can be substantially mitigated through the use of wind breakers like canopies. 

Wind studies are obligatory in EIAs for high-rise buildings but no such studies were requested by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority before the approval of a new 16-metre tower in Gzira. An unpublished Project Development Statement, extracts of which were published in a case officer report, noted that the significant increase in the height of the development could potentially have implications for wind circulation around the development and the wind microclimate of the surrounding streets.

But it emerges that no such studies were ever carried out.

“Studies on the possible changes to the wind microclimate in the area of the development were not requested by either the Planning Directorate or any of the agencies/departments consulted during the processing of the application,” a spokesperson for MEPA told MaltaToday.

As for shadowing, a sun path study was carried out to show the shadowing of the proposed development. The study showed that the surrounding streets are already shaded and the project will mostly impact surrounding roofs, depending on the time of the day.

When asked why the Project Development Statement was not published, the MEPA spokesperson replied that since the application did not qualify for an Environment Impact Assessment, there was no need to publish the PDS, which was not even required.

According to the MEPA spokesperson the PDS was compiled by the developers on their own initiative. He also announced that the document will now be published on the website of the authority.

The development, proposed by Jean Borg of ADMP Limited, consists of a multi-storey, mixed-use commercial and residential development. It will include three basement parking levels accommodating 125 car parking spaces, landscaped public open space and cafeteria at street level with overlying office space over a floor area of 4,435sqm, and 10 residential units. 

An application for a four-storey and penthouse development on the same site was approved by MEPA in 2011. This means that the impact of the project was already partially addressed before developers opted to apply the floor area ratio – a mechanism through which building height is raised to increase surrounding open spaces. 

The application for the development was presented for screening in June 2014 and was only published on the MEPA website and newspapers in April 2015 after it was validated. This means that the application is being approved in a record time of four months.