Missing bridges to be rebuilt in Balluta Buildings restoration

The second phase of the restoration of Balluta Buildings will foresee the reconstruction of two small bridges on the second and third floors below the eastern archway, which had been lost over the years.

The bridges will be reconstructed using the same type of materials used in the original works.

The works proposed in a planning application presented by owner Justine Pergola envisages the sensitive restoration of the north-eastern half of the Balluta Building, following the restoration of the south-western half.

The restoration plan covers three façades looking onto Balluta Square, Triq il-Markiż Scicluna and Triq il-Karmnu.

The two bridges are documented in photos dating back to the 1930s and are similar to bridges which are still present in below the southwest archway. The bridges will not only link the apartments on each side of the bridge but will “complete the symmetry of the façade”.

The works are explained in detail in a restoration method statement prepared by architect Stephen Serracino Inglott.

“The intention is to conserve to original aesthetic and style, without altering any design elements, except where it is complementary and respectful to the original design of the Balluta Buildings,” the architect explained.

Moreover the restoration will be based on documentary evidence to reconstruct elements that will re-establish the symmetry and totality of the original design, while conserving the original materials.

The reconstructed bridges will be dressed with wrought-iron railings designed in the same shape as those present on the south-western building. The window overlooking the bridges will also be changed back to doors.

Apart from the reconstruction of the two  brdges the restoration will also see the reconstruction of missing sections of elaborate parapet walls which have been replaced by aluminium railings. The reconstruction will also be based on a comparison with old photos.

The restoration report also reveals that the original roller shutters, some of which date back to the original structure have now deteriorated beyond repair. These roller shutters will be replaced with identical new ones sourced from Sicily.

The restoration will include the careful removal of redundant cables and wires, light fixtures, and other accretions.

Layers of black crust (gypsum), will be carefully removed from stone surfaces on the walls and façades, using only delicate manual methods and appropriate hand tools, primarily scalpels.

A beacon of excellence

Completed in 1928 the site of the Balluta Buildings originally formed the lower parts of the grounds of Villa Ignatius towards the shore, where terraced fields existed.

Marquis Scicluna purchased the lower parts of these grounds when the land was sold in the 1920’s. The architect chosen by the Marquis to design the Balluta Buildings was Giuseppe Psaila, who applied to obtain permission for the construction of a medium-rise block of apartments facing Balluta Bay.

In describing the Balluta Buildings Prof. Conrad Thake in Art Nouveau to Modernism: Architecture in Malta 1910-50, Published by Kite Group Limited, 2021 writes: “The decorative stonework was mainly confined to the upper end of the pilasters and the mouldings of the three arches with the carving of a winged head of a putto featuring in each keystone. The design of the metalwork along the verandahs and front parapet walls is also in the Art Nouveau style, with sinuous and curvilinear lines inspired by nature. Balluta Buildings, completed a couple of years after Broadlands Mansions was equally imposing and monumental; less ponderous in its massing; and more elegant in terms of its decorative elements.”

The architect Giuseppe Psaila, did not have any local buildings that used this same design style to follow for the Balluta Buildings except for his own design of the Broadlands Mansions. Prof. Thake is sure that Psaila was familiar with the most known Italian architects of the time who favoured the Italian version of Art Nouveau known as the Stile Liberty.

(The historical information cited in the Restoration Method Statement was taken from Conrad Thake's 'Art Nouveau to Modernism - Architecture in Malta 1910-1950 published by KITE Group Ltd, 2021)