This project was won in competition in 2004 with Maltese colleagues JB Architects and is a design for a new 900 pupil boys' secondary school on the outskirts of the village of Mosta in the centre of Malta. The site is currently of semi-agricultural use and changes level using terraces formed of dry stone walls.
The initial inspiration for our project was the idea of a terraced building connected with the landscape of the island without imposing a monumental building upon it. We therefore restricted the design to three storeys in height and a complex section was developed to step the building down the fall of the site with classrooms organised around two and three storey open streets protected from sun and rain with canopies. The main school square is enclosed by the two streets and a central facilities building consisting of main hall, administrative offices, library and entrance.
The building has an interesting environmental agenda and it is our intention to make construction of the classrooms as heavyweight as possible and rely on passive cooling,thereby obviating the requirement for air conditioning. The buildings will be faced in the natural limestone of the island and roof spaces will be used for informal teaching on roof terraces.
The project is sponsored by "The Foundation For Tomorrows Schools" and this building, one of the very few architectural competitions ever held on the island, is being seen as a potential exemplar for future school design.
