Edwin Mintoff Architects win top international award for AUM's British Building

Local firm Edwin Mintoff Architects awarded Golden A' Design Award for the British Building in Cospicua on AUM's campus

EM Architects restored and rehabilitated the British Building, part of the AUM campus in Cospicua
EM Architects restored and rehabilitated the British Building, part of the AUM campus in Cospicua

Maltese achitectural firm Edwin Mintoff Architects has won the prestigious international Golden A' Design Award for their work on the British Building in Cospicua.

EM Architects won the award - in the 2019 Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design category - on Thursday.

The British Building, which is part of the American University of Malta campus, was constructed in the 19th centure. It was severely damaged during WWII and later fell into disuse, remaining abandoned and unsafe.

Parts of the building were completely missing, thus rendering the original volume distorted and unsymmetrical, EM Architects said in a statement today.

A view of the British Building after sunset
A view of the British Building after sunset

"Through the design interventions of EM Architects, the building was given a new lease of life with a renewed purpose," the firm said. 

"As well as restoring the historic fabric in a meticulous fashion, the overall building was also rehabilitated in order to usher the structure into the current age whilst at the same time managing to highlight its stunning historic elements. The guiding principle behind this project remained the act of revealing this heritage building as a protagonist of design."

The objective behind the A' Design Award Competition is to showcase the best designs in all creative disciplines and industries on an international level. It is the world’s largest and most diverse design award. 

All entries are evaluated by an international jury, and each year more than two thousand designs are submitted. The international competitionwas "born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well-designed products" and annually entries are received from more than a hundred countries.

EM Architects highlighted that such awards "are recognised to be of exceptional esteem and it is a tremendous honour that a Maltese project was selected as the winner." 

The Maltese firm was joined by other renowned architectural firms which won awards in different architectural categories, such as Aedas and GOA (Group of Architects) amongst others. 

The laureates will now be celebrated at a gala ceremony in Como, Italy, with an opportunity to become part of the exclusive ‘Best Designs of the Year’ exhibit. 

Last year, EM Architects were also awarded the European Prix Versailles for design of Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour.