The realisation of the Rotunda of Mosta, Malta : Grognet, Fergusson and the episcopal objection

The Rotunda of Mosta is the parish church of the town of Mosta in mainland Malta. It was designed in the early nineteenth century in Neoclassical idiom by the Maltese architect-engineer of French decent Giorgio Grognet de Vasse. It was modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. Objections against its construction were levelled, the main opponent of the design proposal being the bishop Francesco Saverio Caruana. Following its completion the leading Scottish architectural historian James Fergusson had included a very negative review in his seminal publication History of the Modern Styles of Architecture. This paper concludes that the episcopal objection was a feeble excuse rather than a reason whilst the opinion of Fergusson was not based on an informed, possibly even biased, judgement of the professional abilities and uprightness of Grognet.peer-reviewe

In defence of Baroque : the Wolfflin-Frankl-Giedion tradition

If there was a style which took long to be academically and stylistically respected, it was the Baroque. The text which made it worth intellectual appreciation is Renaissance und Barock, translated into English as Renaissance and Baroque, by Heinrich Wölfflin. This publication, issued in 1888, had rendered Baroque an acceptable theme for scholarship. Until then, it “had been considered too pathological to be worthy of serious study”. Wölfflin had established a tradition of systematic, comparative, empirico-analytical research which was developed further from teacher to student. He, who in 1893 was appointed professor of art history at the University of Basel to succeed his teacher Jacob Burckhardt, the lead authority in the historiography of art and culture at the time, had taught the Czech scholars Paul Frankl and Sigfried Giedion. The former, later Wölfflin’s assistant, had critically challenged and developed his master’s ideas in his publication Die Entwicklungsphasen der neueren Baukunst, translated as Principles of Architectural History: The Four Phases of Architectural Style, 1420– 1900, hereafter shortened to Principles of Architectural History. This text was instrumental ‘to induce his reluctant contemporaries to approach Baroque architecture sympathetically’.4 It was published in 1914, a year earlier than Wölfflin’s publication Kunstgeschichtliche Grundbegriffe, translated as Principles of Art History.5 Unlike his teacher, Frankl was ‘reluctant to use this term [Baroque], which was then still so charged with negative overtones’.6 As James Sloss Ackerman observed, this Wölfflin-Frankl tradition was continued by Sigfried Giedion through his publication Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition.7 This paper aims to outline the contributions of the main protagonists of this tradition through their respective above-mentioned text, in defence of Baroque.peer-reviewe

Social media : Third-person perceptions of architecture

Perceptions of architecture vary depending on the reader. This study is based on an experiment involving social media. A provocative architectural photomontage is shared on Facebook without using the sponsored feature. Inputs, notably ‘Likes’ and ‘Comments’, received within 24 hours from posting were analysed. Unlike respondents who are involved in architecture, the general public is afraid of innovative design, departing from the prescriptive formal and informal norms, the comfort zone. The emphasis of the public is the utilitarian rather than the aesthetic dimension of architecture.peer-reviewe

The unity of courage and wisdom in Plato’s Protagoras

The doctrine of the unity of the ‘virtues’ is one of the themes in Plato’s dialogues. It is a doctrine which has been extensively studied and with various interpretations to the thesis contained therein. In the Protagoras Socrates argues for the unity of the ‘virtues’ whereby all are one. One cannot have one of these ‘virtues’ without having all of the rest. In 349d-351b he puts the first argument for the unity of courage with wisdom. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between these two ‘virtues’. The key to understand Socrates’ position lies in exposing the confusion which exists in the debate whereby knowledge, which is used interchangeably for wisdom, is equated to courage.peer-reviewe

Housing and resettlement of young offenders : the case for a cross-government action plan for Malta

The paper addresses social inclusion support as a main focus area of intervention for young offenders after being released from custody in Malta, a former protectorate and colony of Britain from which it has inherited its public administration and education system. According to European Commission statistics published in 2011, the island has the highest percentage of young offenders in the European Union. The objective of this research is to investigate whether it is financially feasible to embark on studies to prepare a Young Offenders Housing and Resettlement Protocol and a cross-government action plan for the resettlement of juveniles following their term in custody. This research is based on quantitative analysis of published and unpublished data relating to Young Offenders Unit Rehabilitation Services, Malta. The approach adopted is inspired by current practice and findings in Britain. Compiling a protocol and a cross-government action plan essential for effective public policy for housing young offenders following their term in custody is a financially viable option for Malta. The expenses incurred in providing custody for re-offenders balance out the costs involved in funding preparation of a Young Offenders Housing and Resettlement Protocol, the action plan and all supporting technical reports. In the payback period, a further reduction of the costs of preparing them can be attained by tapping into funding sources such as European Union co-financing programmes. The preparation of a Young Offenders Housing and Resettlement Protocol and a cross-government action plan for young offenders drafted with all parties involved, including the offenders themselves, is a way to invest in the nation's social capital with humanity. The short-, medium- and long-term impacts on such human capital investment are positive for both the young offenders and the community, the victim of crime. This paper proposes that the effort to draft instruments introducing an effective housing and resettlement policy constitutes a viable, cost-effective preventive measure against the relapsing of young offenders.peer-reviewe

Limestone in post-war British architecure: is it a plea for a return to Pugin?

Disparity exists between what is built and what is preached about modern architecture, especially with respect to honesty to building materials. The objective of this paper is to show how the use of limestone in post-war British architecture stands in relation to the notion of 'truth '. This disparity is brought out with reference to Pugin's theory.peer-reviewe

The contemporary urban planning framework in Bulgaria

There is a gap in the field of spatial planning in Bulgaria - the national and district level spatial development schemes have not been elaborated due to the considerable differences from the social-economic and spatial points of view. The difficulties of the transition period and the impossibility of-making reliable forecasts are the main reasons for this fact. The main accent after 2004 fell over the regional planning. Development schemes supplementing the development strategies were presented but they did not contain the whole set of necessary studies.peer-reviewe

Prefabrication, aesthetics and the welfare state : the case for the post-war British public school

The post Second World War welfare state in Britain was based on three pillars: housing, health and education. This paper focuses on education and critically reviews the post-war school building programme in Britain during the first decade following a publication by the Royal Institute of British Architects entitled New Schools, a milestone in school design in the British Isles. Introducing prefabrication in the design of public schools was the way forward to cater for the significantly large number of school spaces required within a short timeframe. As an effective solution to meet the government’s programme, a new aesthetic emerged associated with this mode of construction. These themes are investigated in this study, successes and limitations are identified, criticism levied and final comments put forth. Post-war public schools are a further development of the typology of educational buildings in Britain, a typology which although already present in Northern Europe, left its mark on British architectural history of the twentieth century. This development is an evolution resulting from an awareness of the revolution which industrialization had brought about on war machine production coupled with the emerging political ethic.peer-reviewe

Masonry and the Modernist ethic

This article talks about the role of masonry in the Modernist ideology of architecture. Materials such as steel were given preference over masonry simply because they were progressive. The Modernist movement placed value on utility over appearance.peer-reviewe

Architecture, values and perception : Between rhetoric and reality

Throughout history, design values have always underlined a given architectural style. The manner architects and architectural critics distinguish between them varies from that of the public. In fact a style well perceived by civil society was read as pathological by architectural academia. This paper examines the values and perceptions of contemporary architecture by architects and civil society. Through qualitative methodology, a project by each of the following leading contemporary architects - Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas - was analyzed. The selected designs, all commissioned not more than a decade ago, vary in locations from Malta to Lebanon to India. The study concludes that design values and perceptions of architecture as read by members of the architectural profession do not tally with those of the public. The emphasis by architects is on the aesthetic whilst non-architects focus on the utilitarian dimension. Furthermore, the rhetorical language which architects use is not read as such by the public. The assessment of the public is based on the existential reality which they experience. The perception of civil society matters; it is at the core of architectural design values.peer-reviewe