Process to carry out repairs to Parliament building, Royal Opera House launched

Speaker of the House of Representatives Anġlu Farrugia and Minister Roderick Galdes announced on Wednesday a comprehensive study will soon begin on the renovation of the Parliament Building and the Royal Opera House.

The project will be coordinated by Malita Investments plc.

Farrugia said the process will not disrupt the work of the House and its committees, and therefore parliamentary work will continue unhindered, since investigations will begin as soon as parliament adjourns for summer recess.

He also said his main interest is to maintain a maximum level of security in parliament for MPs, employees, and the public.

Last April, Farrugia announced several parts of the parliament building were closed down due to suspected structural deficiencies.

Minister Galdes also stated Malita Investments plc has already engaged several technical experts and architects to assess the necessary repairs and maintenance for the building and the Royal Opera House.

“From these studies, we want to see what caused these damages, fix them and prevent them from recurring in the coming years” Minister Galdes said.

Additionally, Renzo Piano’s company, which designed the Parliament of Malta, has given its approval for measures to be taken to prepare this study.

Both Galdes and Farrugia stressed the importance of not allowing an iconic and contemporary building such as parliament, which serves as a symbol of the democratic state, to deteriorate in a way that leads to irreparable damage.