A tiered design approach for a multipurpose building.

Situated in a tree lined road in one of Malta’s most famous showroom destinations, the brief for this multipurpose project was to maximise the site’s available space by designing for both commercial and residential uses.

Our long-standing client wanted property he could sell easily and quickly, so a number of criteria had to be met. How to make the building attractive, functional and practical for various users. Our team had to consider the limitations imposed on the main road and the street which ran parallel behind from which this property could also be accessed. We also looked at the relationship between our new proposed structure and how it would fit nestled between two existing buildings on either side.

Maximising natural light in a building is always a crucial part of our design process. We designed landscaped, receding terraces that offered shade from the south facing sun. We then used large amounts of glazing on the balconies to ensure light still found its way comfortably into the building.

We wanted to design a way for the bottom commercial showroom and offices to blend harmoniously with the upper residential floors. Pulling inspiration from the foliage that dotted this rather picturesque locale, we opted for a biophilic-themed design, bringing the greenery into the façade in a cascade design, that reached all the way down into a vertical line on the commercial ground floor.

Using greenery in our proposal married the idea of privacy – enabling the building to blend in with its surroundings – with a more refined edge – allowing it to stand proud for its own design uniqueness.

Using curved edging around the showroom façade and then on each residential balcony gave the building symmetry. And an important touch was using colour to separate commercial from residential. Continuing with the concept of landscaping and privacy, each balcony receded the higher the structure went.

The final design proposal was loved by our client, not just for its originality but also its quiet style. Not all buildings need to shout, sometimes they need aesthetic treatment that meets a functional brief with modern style that just looks and feels absolutely perfect for all users.