Golden A' Design Award in Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Goes to AUM British Building Campus by Edwin Mintoff

Edwin Mintoff recognized for cultural heritage and culture industry design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design category for AUM British Building Campus by Edwin Mintoff, designed for Aum. The recognition forms part of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Golden A' Design Award Explained

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

More About AUM British Building Campus

AUM British Building is a university campus created within a 19th century heritage building in Senglea. The building was severely damaged during the Second World War and later fell into disuse. The historic fabric was restored carefully, and the structure was rehabilitated for contemporary use. The campus contains classrooms, laboratories, offices, a library, an internal garden and a cafeteria that remains open to the public. Contemporary materials were chosen to stay visually distinct from the original fabric. Exposed services and riveted steel beams recall the industrial past.

Award Record

This recognition makes Edwin Mintoff a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award

The A' Cultural Heritage Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good designs that preserve, protect, and promote cultural heritage. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to cultural heritage designers, culture industry professionals, cultural heritage specialists and museum designers from all countries. Entries typically include cultural heritage projects, cultural conversation, preservation and restoration and protection projects. Awarded cultural heritage designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/cultural-heritage

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/102246
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/102246
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!102246
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/274299
Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/2TFKbk6

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: AUM British Building Campus
Function: Campus
Category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Arts and Social Impact
Colors: Steel Blue, Dark Slate Gray, Gray, Dim Gray and Tan
Images: 5
Client: Aum

The Recognition

Laureate: Edwin Mintoff
Country: Malta
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2019 - 2020
Design ID: #102246

Credits

Team: Pietro Di Raimondo and Mario Scicluna
Image Credits: Photographer: Alan Carville

Design Details

Unique Properties: This 19th century building was severely damaged during WWII and later fell into disuse. Through EM Architects' design interventions, the building was brought back to life with a renewed purpose to serve Senglea in a new way. As well as restoring the historic fabric in a meticulous fashion, the overall building was also rehabilitated in order to usher the building into the current age whilst at the same time managing to showcase its stunning historic elements. The guiding principle behind this project remained the act of showcasing this heritage building as a protagonist of design.
Inspiration: The building's rich industrial past served as the main source of inspiration which informed the majority of design decisions taken throughout the design process. This was reflected in the intentionally exposed services of the building. The selection of raw materials and the choice to retain original structural elements, such as the voltini ceilings and the exposed riveted steel beams, emphasised this industrial feel. Another integral factor which shaped the restoration and rehabilitation of this historic building was the harnessing of sustainable initiatives in various forms.
Research: Our design began with analyzing the past history and also current situation of the area, to ensure that the restoration of such buildings would also serve to accelerate the urban regeneration of the entire area. Various historical documents, for example the text "The Malta Grand Harbour and Its Dockyard" by Bonnici and Cassar and drawings were analysed, including maps dating back to the 1840s.
Challenge: The main challenge of this project presented itself in the form of an existing dilapidated building, whereby its extensive character and value had been left to decay. The means by which this challenge was overcome was by successfully ushering this building into the contemporary age whilst 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.
Realization and Technology: Contemporary materials were chosen purposely so as to be visually distinguishable from the original historic fabric. This distinction is essential in order 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.
Operation and Interaction: Our design incorporated the creation of 13 classrooms, 4 laboratories, 1 cafeteria, 1 library, 18 offices, 1 internal garden and 2 receptions, through minor alterations and the construction of additional floors. 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.
Project Duration and Location: Works at Triq Dom Mintoff, Bormla, commenced in November 2016 and were completed by March 2019.
Specifications: Building is 19.6 high, 194m wide, 15.6m deep
Keywords: Restoration, rehabiliation, heritage, industrial, university