Our brief was to provide our clients with offices enjoying ample natural lighting thereby ensuring quality and attractive spaces aimed at rental tenants seeking something above the cut of the current market. Our philosophy was to provide good architecture, but not iconic monuments; respectful to neighbours. Moreover, the offices needed to accommodate flexible layouts, easy to parcel out, and remain pleasant to inhabit.

Considering the shape of the site, the building was conceived to achieve maximum frontages, arranged around two internal, split‐level plazas. The plan takes the form of three finger floorplates, providing some 9000 m2 over three floors. The width of each finger was based initially on the recommended depth (6 to 6.5 metres) reached by natural daylight. The single aspect floor plates have a width of 10 metres, while the central finger, which has a double aspect, has a width of 20 metres. These modules, exceeding the recommended value, have been dictated by the width of frontage onto Triq Pantar, and allow for the services spaces, such as lavatories, utility rooms, and computer server rooms, all of which do not require daylighting, to be placed in the darker zones. The structural grid provides 10‐ metre spans, so that the single aspect offices are free of internal columns, while the double aspect finger has only a single line of centrally placed columns. In this way the maximum flexibility is achieved.

To increase the possible tenancies, a series of bridge links connect the fingers. This made the building attractive to one corporate tenant who took over the whole building, accommodating its different departments comfortably, with open spaces for the employees. The facades were designed using modular units, with different arrangements to create interest, in a simple way, along the façade. The upper levels have a series of full‐height windows while the ground floor is mostly glazed. The façade is clad using precast terrazzo panels. The terrazzo mixes chosen vary from a light colour, practically white, in the upper floors to a darker colour, a mid‐grey, in the lower floors.

Photography by: Sean Mallia