Tour of San Anton Palace, Attard

Start Date & Time: 16/03/2019 – 12:00 pm

End Date & Time: 16/03/2019 – 3:00 pm

FAA is delighted to invite its members to a private tour of San Anton Palace and its beautiful staterooms which are rarely open to the public. This tour is being organised in conjunction with the The Sustainable Regeneration of Built Heritage Initiative, led by Perit Amber Wismayer under the auspices of HE, the President of Malta, which adopted San Anton Palace as a case study in safeguarding Malta’s architectural legacy through sustainable interventions and sensitive, adaptive re-use.

Heritage buildings, prolific in Malta and throughout the Mediterranean, are characterised by passive environmental design strategies such as natural ventilation, orientation towards the sun, thermal mass and shading. The use of traditional features such as the loggia, were developed over the centuries to provide a comfortable living spaces for buildings’ occupants.

International studies have shown that significant energy savings may be achieved without reducing a building’s cultural and architectural value, offering huge potential in reducing national energy demands. San Anton Palace, now the residence and office of the President of Malta, was originally built in 1620 as a country retreat for Grand Master Antoine de Paule and embellished over the centuries. Thus the different functions of this working palace must merge harmoniously with the highest standards of heritage protection, presenting a challenging case study.

After the tour a short lecture by Perit Amber Wismayer will be given, explaining how the Palace’s original features were incorporated to improve comfort by maximising the benefits of passive strategies while safeguarding the building’s heritage value. This will be followed by tea/coffee and refreshments for tour participants.

We are anticipating heavy demand for these tours to be held at 12 noon, 1pm and 2pm on Saturday 16 March.

Patrons are requested to arrive 15 minutes before their tour.

Perit Amber Wismayer graduated from the Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta, obtaining a Masters degree from London in environmental studies and energy efficiency. She is Hon. Secretary of the Kamra tal-Periti, representing KTP within the Architects Council of Europe Environment and Sustainable Architecture Working Group. Perit Wismayer’s interests include policy, heritage architecture and energy studies and she has led the Sustainable Regeneration of Built Heritage Initiative, under the auspices of the President of Malta