Architecture & Design June issue available to read online

This edition of Architecture & Design brings into focus Malta’s evolving architectural landscape, united by a shared question: how can architecture respond to the pressures of the present while honouring the past and imagining a better future?

Nowhere is this more urgent than in Malta itself, where the 2024 MASP Awards highlighted the country’s finest achievements in restoration, innovation, and sustainable design. From historic sites in Mdina to contemporary projects in Gozo, the awards celebrate a diverse architectural landscape. Yet, as architect Joeaby Vassallo reminds us in a candid interview, Malta is still searching for its architectural identity. “For centuries, our built environment changed very little,” he reflects. “Then, in less than a hundred years, we suddenly found ourselves with both the opportunity and the pressure to build.” His work with I+A thoughtfully addresses this very tension, skillfully balancing nostalgia and progress, preservation and reinvention.

On our cover, The Living Bridge at Green School Bali stands as a striking example of architecture’s potential to inspire and connect. Designed by Mizzi Studio in close collaboration with students and educators, this innovative bamboo structure demonstrates the power of architecture as a tool for education, sustainability, and community engagement. It is a regenerative, dynamic space where design and learning grow hand in hand.

Across every page of this issue, we witness architecture as more than a profession; it is a cultural compass, a reflection of who we are and who we hope to become. Featured projects remind us that great design does not emerge in isolation. It grows from dialogue, from listening, from shared purpose. In a time of rapid change, architecture must do more than fill space... it must shape meaning, foster belonging, and build futures we can be proud of.

Check it out here!