Architect Patrick Calleja takes the helm at Din l-Art Ħelwa

Architect Patrick Calleja has taken on the role of the new executive president of Din l-Art Ħelwa, succeeding architect Alex Torpiano.

Calleja now serves as the eighth executive president of the organization, founded by Judge Maurice Caruana Curran in 1965 amidst a campaign against the development of the Excelsior hotel, with the aim of preserving Malta's heritage.

In recent years, Calleja has been actively involved in advocating against the deterioration of urban conservation areas in Malta and Gozo, with a particular focus on Għargħur. In 2021, he led a campaign to safeguard agricultural land along Triq Kromb Il-Bahar within the locality’s Urban Conservation Area. And last year, he objected to a proposed cluster of four new buildings with pools and garages that could replace an ODZ farmhouse in the same urban conservation area last year.

Calleja graduated in architecture and civil engineering from the University of Malta in 1989. Following experiences both abroad and in Malta, he established his own architectural practice in 1995 and later formed a partnership with Architects Studio.

Expressing his gratitude to his predecessors, Calleja stated, "It’s a great honor and privilege to follow in the footsteps of some truly inspiring and hard-working leaders who have helped shape and guide Malta’s National Trust over the years into a most respected guardian of our historic and cultural built heritage and natural environment."

He also extended his thanks to Torpiano on behalf of the council and the NGO’s members for his service. Torpiano will continue to serve on the Din l-Art Ħelwa council as vice-president and as the chair of the Heritage and Environment Protection sub-committee.