Reviving History: Edwin Mintoff's AUM British Building

Industrial Heritage Meets Modern Design in a Campus Restoration

The AUM British Building, a campus located in Senglea, was a project that required a delicate balance of preservation and innovation. Edwin Mintoff and his team were inspired by the building's rich industrial past, which informed the majority of design decisions. The selection of raw materials and the choice to retain original structural elements, such as the voltini ceilings and the exposed riveted steel beams, emphasized this industrial feel.

What makes this design unique is the way it brings a severely damaged and neglected 19th-century building back to life. The building was meticulously restored, showcasing its stunning historic elements while also incorporating modern design interventions. The guiding principle behind this project was to make the heritage building a protagonist of design.

The design realization technology used in this project involved a careful selection of contemporary materials. These were chosen to be visually distinguishable from the original historic fabric, a distinction essential to delineate the contemporary interventions within the important timeline of this building. At its inception, this building was born out of golden Globigerina Limestone and raw steel elements, showcasing the fusion between the British Neo-Classical style and local quarried materials.

The design includes the creation of 13 classrooms, 4 laboratories, 1 cafeteria, 1 library, 18 offices, 1 internal garden, and 2 receptions. The cafeteria, which ensures that part of the building remains accessible to the public, also houses the restored original machinery of the building, thus incorporating these historical elements seamlessly within the new contemporary designs.

The main challenge of this project was the existing dilapidated building, its extensive character and value left to decay. This challenge was overcome by successfully ushering this building into the contemporary age while also preserving and highlighting its original character. New volumes had to be created within and onto the existing historical fabric, which was no small challenge.

The AUM British Building project was recognized with the prestigious Golden A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award in 2020. This award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. They are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.