Mangion Mangion & Partners, Malta Architects, Civil Engineers and Planning Consultants

Quantity Surveyor at MMP attends graduation ceremony
13th December 2008

Malcolm Zarb who forms part of the team at MMP, has been awarded the Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying from the University of Reading, London, UK. This month he visited the University specifically for this occasion after successfully completing two years of study for this Honours degree course. The graduation ceremony took place at London Road Campus which is the original home of the University. The University of Reading was established in 1892, received its Royal Charter in 1926 and has a long tradition of research, education and training at a local, national and international level. It was also awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 1998, and again in 2005. It is one of the ten most research-intensive universities in the UK. The rest of the team at MMP wish Malcolm every success in his career as a professional Quantity Surveyor
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MMP continues to contribute to the debate on a reform to the Planning system
7th December 2008

A second article has been published in Malta's main newspaper The Sunday Times of Malta on Sunday 7th December 2008. This time, the article addressed the need for Mediation in Planning. Written by Perit Vincent Magri, the article calls for changes to the Development Planning Act so that Planning Mediators could be appointed by the Applicants, the Planning Directorate and by interested Third Parties for any development application. In order to be effective, such appointments need to be done before the Development Planning Application Report is drawn up by the Planning Directorate. This will contribute to a faster processing of the specific applications. The full article can be viewed by clicking here
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Conference by the Malta Association for Geographic Information - Location: Exploiting the Benefits
5th December 2008

This conference addressed the importance of Geographic Information Systems for some of today's organisations. The activities of many organisations are location based and hence the use of GIS for having updated information about their activities is sometimes vital for better management control and cost reduction. This has a large bearing on companies involved in land and property management, those who have a wide and diverse client base, and those involved in logistics. Perit Vincent Magri attended for this conference which also included an exhibition and presentations on the latest GIS and Surveying Techniques by some of the service providers.
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MMP appointed as the Architects for the new Gasco installation
2nd December 2008

Gasco Energy Limited will be the operator responsible for importation, storage and bottling of Liquified Petroleum Gas in Malta. Gasco Energy Limited is a joint venture between Multigas Limited and Liquigas SpA of Italy. This company has recently signed a concession agreement with EneMalta, through which the latter has transferred its LPG activity to Gasco Energy. Gasco Energy ltd will be investing in a new state-of-the-art LPG bottling plant at Benghajsa, in the vicinity of the Malta Freeport. MMP are proud that they have been appointed as the architects for this important project



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MMP complete World's first purpose-built ePassport Production Facility
26 th November 2008

The 26th November 2008 saw the official opening by the Prime Minister of Malta of the De La Rue extension to the existing premises in Bulebel. De La Rue is an international company that produces banknotes, ID systems and passports for many countries throughout the world. This latest extension prints and assembles machine-readable and biometric passports. This involves the embedding of electronic chips to produce today's high-tech passports. MMP are proud to be the architects behind building this project, from design through to completion. Perit Stephen Mangion, Perit Patrick Camilleri and Perit Victor Cristina attended for the opening ceremony that was held on the premises.
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Seminar by the Chamber of Architects (Malta) - small = tall?
21st November 2008

Another important topic that was discussed by the Chamber in a seminar on the 21st November 2008 was the issue of tall buildings in the Maltese urban environment. The aspects covered included strategic planning, a historical review of the development of tall buildings, conceptual and structural design issues and sustainability, including environmental, social and economic issues. The seminar was brought to a close with a review of MEPA's strategy on the policies for tall buildings. Perit Stephen Mangion, senior partner at MMP attended this seminar. The seminar highlighted the need for high design quality and efficiency and it threw into perspective the current application of the Floor Area Ratio policy which only allows at best a 10-15% increase in total floor area attainable under the Tall Buildings policy. The seminar also highlighted the social responsibility involved in planning new tall buildings when there are still large numbers of vacant apartments in Malta.
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Seminar by the Chamber of Architects (Malta) - The MEPA Reform
20th November 2008

With the hot topic currently being the expected reform to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Chamber has organised a business breakfast on the subject. Perit Vincent Magri, responsible for Planning at MMP attended this activity, held on the 20th November 2008. The main speaker was the Prime Minister, under whose portfolio MEPA falls. The Prime Minister mentioned the end of this year as a possible deadline for announcing the proposed reform, which is to be a sustainable reform to be carried out in the context of the current and future economic realities of the country. Although not many details were forthcoming, the reform is expected to be based on the declared goals of improving consistency, transparency, efficiency and enforcement in MEPA.

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MMP contributing to the debate on a reform to the Planning system
16th November 2008

The Practice continues to take the lead in striving for a better Planning system in Malta. Perit Vincent Magri has contributed to the current discussion on the reform of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) through an article in Malta's main newspaper The Sunday Times of Malta. This article appeared on Sunday 16th November 2008 and calls for the implementation of a wider strategy which goes beyond the reform of MEPA. Among the main aspects of such a strategy should be a higher degree of dissemination of the Planning culture together with the involvement of Planning professionals at decision making and decision taking levels. The full article can be viewed by clicking here
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Malta Chamber Of Planners seminar - Planning: The Future
7th November 2008

On the 7th November 2008, the Malta Chamber of Planners organised a Business Breakfast on the subject. Perit Vincent Magri, responsible for Planning at MMP has attended for this meeting, which was held on the eve of World Planning Day. Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Chris Said addressed the meeting mentioning the importance of planning in today's world and expanded on the current administration's work in trying to address the challenges related to Planning. The keynote speaker was Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones who travelled from the UK specifically for this occasion. Professor Tewdwr-Jones is a world authority on the subject and has published a number of books related to Planning theory. He gave an overview of how other European countries are constantly trying to set up Planning systems that are flexible enough to deal with the ever changing needs of our built and natural environments.
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Certificate Course by the Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage
20th October 2008

This course was organised during October 2008 and was entitled "Caring for Historic Houses". Perit Patrick Camilleri, Partner at MMP attended for this course as part of the philosophy of the Practice to encourage Continued Professional Development for its members of staff. This enables the Practice to continue to offer the best possible service to its Clients, based on the latest developments in the respective fields. The course focused on residential development in Malta beginning with a historical appraisal of Maltese domestic Architecture. Other aspects tackled included ethics of conservation, structural systems employed, cleaning of globigerina limestone, and materials used in the repair / replacement of deteriorated stone.
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Visit to Surrey, UK by Architect Daniel Micallef Grimaud
31 st July 2008


As part of the work on the design of a major cancer facility in Malta, Architect Daniel Micallef Grimaud visited the Princess Alice Cancer Inpatient and Outpatient facility based in Esher, Surrey, UK. The aim of this trip, organised on the 31st July 2008, was to familiarise the Practice with existing facilities in the UK, including palliative services offered, the planning and general layout of the complex, the design and energy-efficient principles applied in clinical design, and health and safety issues when managing such care centres. The Director of Clinical Services at this facility, Ms. Eva Garland, ensured that the visiting team would get a broad but concise overview of the manner in which the complex functioned.
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Presentation on Accessibility by Perit Patrick Camilleri
5th May 2008

This presentation was delivered on the 15th May 2008 during the seminar - Achieving Quality in the Built Environment, organised by the Chamber of Architects (Malta), the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, and the National Commission for Persons with Disability (KNPD). Perit Camilleri, a Partner at MMP, is deeply involved in matters relating to accessibility of buildings. During the period 1996 -2006 he was a consultant to the National Commission for Persons with Disability and assisted the Commission with the setting up of a procedure whereby applications for development permission were vetted to ensure full accessibility. He has presented a number of lectures on the subject. This latest presentation dealt with accessibility in Urban and Public Areas.

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