The Sea Malta Building, formerly known as the NAAFI Building, is a former office building located in Marsa,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was originally built in 1948 as a warehouse and recreational facility for the British

Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs c ...

(NAAFI). It was the head office of

Sea Malta Sea Malta Company Limited (1973-2006) was the Maltese national shipping company. Established on 10 November 1973 during the tenure of the Labour Government led by Dominic Mintoff, which had the majority of the shares in the new company. The que ...

from 1981 to 2006, and it has been abandoned since then. Part of the building was demolished in November 2017 after it was found that its foundations were in a poor state.

History

Background

The NAAFI (

) was present in Malta since 1919 and its introduction set a competitive impact to Maltese businessmen. A good number of Maltese workers benefitted as they were employed with the NAAFI. The NAAFI had initially occupied two stores at the Barriera Wharf (no. 13 and 14) outside the

fortifications of Valletta The fortifications of Valletta ( mt, Is-Swar tal-Belt Valletta) are a series of defensive walls and other fortifications which surround Valletta, the capital city of Malta. The first fortification to be built was Fort Saint Elmo in 1552, but th ...

(which stores were built by Grand Master Perellos for Maritime commerce) setting a business of an automobile garage. After almost three decades, the NAAFI moved out and the stores became occupied by a wine business set up by the A.M. & A. Cassar Brothers.

Purposely built building

The Sea Malta Building was originally built in 1949 for the NAAFI, and was initially known as the Building. It was designed by the architecture firm Mortimer and de Giorgio Architects. The building served as a warehouse, but it also housed shops, restaurants and other recreational facilities. The building had a significant role in WWII when it served food to many people around the Grand Harbour area. The British Navy left Malta in March 1979 (Freedom) and hence the NAAFI vacated the building. The building remained adequate for sea-related activity and thus was established to be used as a warehouse for ships. In April 1981, the building was converted into the head office of

Company Limited, formerly the Sea Malta Groupage Bonds, who moved there from their previous offices in

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...

. It remained the company's headquarters until the company dissolved in 2006. Parts of the building were later used as a warehouse, while the rest of the block were abandoned and fell into a state of disrepair.

Partial demolition

In 2017, it was found that part of the building's foundations were in a poor state as they were constructed on metal piles resting on the seabed, which were prone to erosion. The quay on which the building was constructed had already partially collapsed. A structural appraisal report stated that the building became an operational risk for the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and ...

. The Planning Authority approved the demolition of a large part of the building. The Chamber of Architects and the NGOs

Din l-Art Ħelwa () is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese Judge Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Since its foundation, Din l-Art Ħelwa has restored numerous ...

and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar asked the Authority to nullify the permit awarded for the demolition, with the Chamber stating that the structural appraisal report did not identify the structure as in imminent danger of collapse. The rear part of the building began to be demolished on 20 November 2017 by Enemalta contractors. The front end of the building, including the clock tower, is not in danger of collapse and will not be demolished.

Architecture

The Sea Malta Building has been called "a fine

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

building". It includes a distinctive

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

. The Planning Authority has mixed opinion about the building and hence sought for the conservation of the main features.

References

{{reflist Marsa, Malta Modernist architecture in Malta Commercial buildings completed in 1948 Commercial buildings in Malta Office buildings in Malta Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes