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TA QALI Arts & Crafts Village

DESIGN GUIDELINES

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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
1.2 OBJECTIVES

2. SITE GUIDELINES
3.1 SITE LAYOUT AND BUILDING ORIENTATION
3.2 EXTERNAL AREAS
3.3 BOUNDARY FENCING

3. NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT


4.1 LANDSCAPING
4.2 NATURAL LIGHT AND VENTILATION

4. BUILT FORM
5.1 BUILDING CHARACTER AND DETAIL
5.2 HEIGHT LIMITATION
5.3 MATERIAL FINISHES AND COLOUR
5.4 FENESTRATION
5.4 PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
5.5 OUTBUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES
5.5 SIGNAGE

5. CHECKLIST OF ISSUES TO CONSIDER

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1.

I NTRODUCTION

1.1

BACKGROUND

The Ta Qali Arts & Crafts Village is located on a relatively flat area below the hills of
Mtarfa and is approximately 110metres above mean sea level. At present, the site is
occupied by a number of single storey structures and Nissen huts.

1.2

OBJECTIVES:

The Ta Qali design guidelines provide an easy reference manual aimed at ensuring a
standard of development throughout and to contribute to the creation of a pleasant
working environment and a tourist attraction. The guidelines have been prepared to
guide the orderly redevelopment of the Arts & Crafts village at Ta Qali.
The key objectives addressed by the design guidelines are as follows:

To achieve a degree of consistency and compatibility in the built form and


landscaping, whilst allowing for a certain degree of individuality and a well presented
market image.

To achieve an attractive and unified development which acknowledges the goal


of conserving and enhancing the environment by emphasising sustainable energy
management, functional and efficient buildings and the introduction of complementary
quality landscaping.

To avoid unsightly and poorly planned development and enhance and protect the
investment of all owners within the TaQali Arts & Crafts Village.

To give a sense of place and create an environment which is representative of


the use, that of a traditional Maltese village promoting the Arts & Crafts.

To achieve greater sustainability in the built form through energy design.

2.

SITE GUIDELINES

2.1

SITE LAYOUT AND BUILDING ORIENTATION

When undertaking site planning, buildings should be oriented and designed to


conserve non-renewable energy. These simple and logical design factors can
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significantly reduce everyday running costs of buildings with little or no additional


building cost:

Orientation and openings to maximise the north and south exposure;


Orientation and openings to maximise natural cross flow ventilation, eg
cooling summer breezes;
Minimise east and west facing orientation, openings and windows, or
provide adequate shading;
Well considered landscaping will provide valuable shade throughout
summer and allow for the use of the winter sun.

2.2
EXTERNAL AREAS
External areas shall be designed to comply with the following:

No open storage of goods, unserviceable vehicles or machinery shall be


allowed. Open areas shall be used only for landscaping, car parking,
servicing, loading and unloading, or where appropriate.
Rubbish bin storage areas must also be screened from all road frontage.

2.3
BOUNDARY FENCING
Boundary fencing is strictly prohibited at Ta Qali Arts & Crafts Village. Security is to
be provided by other means without compromising the visual aesthetics and overall
character of the development.

3. NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT


3.1

LANDSCAPING

3.2

All plant species must be selected and planted in accordance with the
Guidelines on trees, shrubs and plants for planting and landscaping in the
Maltese islands issued by MEPA.
Tenants are required to vegetate and maintain the full extent of their plot.
All landscaping and planting shall be undertaken by a qualified contractor.

NATURAL LIGHT AND VENTILATION

Further to the passive site layout and building orientation guidelines outlined in section
3.1 the following building design initiatives will aid the conservation of non-renewable
energy and improve employee comfort by assisting the penetration of natural light and
ventilation.
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The following building treatments are optional initiatives designed to assist natural light
penetration and building ventilation. Developers will not be bound to, nor should be
limited to, the following design treatments, however they will need to demonstrate the
buildings ability to capture natural light and allow cross ventilation.
Natural light
Roof lights
To introduce UV filtered sunlight into the centre of the building (consideration
should be given to minimising solar gain by careful selection of the translucent roof
light material).
Ventilation
Side wall ventilation openings
To encourage cross-ventilation through the building
Wind powered ventilation turbines
To aid the relief of hot air at high level and to encourage cooler air to enter at low
level in the building, thereby generating a chimney stack effect for air circulation.
Roof vents active or passive
large relief vents to further increase upward air flow in the building.

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4.

BUILT FORM

4.1

BUILDING CHARACTER AND DETAILING

The predominant architectural design theme is that of traditional Maltese vernacular


architecture. This further creates an environment which is fitting for its use. Buildings
must be designed to address the street, with consideration given to impression from the
street and at a point of entry. The main entrance to the building must be clearly visible in
the design.
The following principles are a guide to the development of an appropriate architectural
character and aim to achieve a good standard of building design throughout the crafts
village.
Building frontage and entry:

The front elevation must be designed to address the street, provide a


corporate image and an inviting entrance;

Building elevations on corner lots must address both street frontages with
a high standard of architectural design;

Architectural form and character must avoid large unrelieved expanses of


wall or roof, where they can be seen from the public realm;

Where more than one building is planned for a site, their design must
result in the creation of a group of integrated buildings presenting a
harmonious image;

The main entrance is to be on the front elevation or close to the front of


the building, clearly visible from the street; and

Entrance points to buildings are to be designed as focus points.

Only one garage door opening is to be allowed on the main front elevation
the design of which is to be chosen from the schedule in Annex B.

Typical elevations are attached in Annex A of this document to give


guidelines when designing each plot.

No structures will be permitted at roof level except a lift well which shall be
incorporated within the permitted building envelope and shall form an
integral part of the design. A stairwell will be permitted only if the highest
part of the stairwell structure above the buildings roof shall not exceed
1.5m from finished roof level. This shall be set back at least 1.8m from the
faade and shall be used for maintenance only.

4.2

HEIGHT LIMITATION

To maintain compatibility and consistency, buildings will not be allowed to dominate


their surroundings by virtue of their height. It is therefore appropriate to establish a
maximum height limit for the whole area. After careful consideration, taking into
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consideration the bearing capacity of the ground and its cost vis--vis the space
standards it was established that height limit for each plot shall be 7.0m measured from
highest road level. The individual units shall be stepped according to the typography of
the site as set out in MEPA DC 2007- Building Height on Sites with a Sloping Street
Frontage. This will also serve to contribute to creating an interesting and varied
streetscape and avoid overshadowing of the streets within the TaQali Crafts Village.
4.3

MATERIALS, FINISHES AND COLOUR

The aim should be to divide up the facades into contrasting smaller areas by introducing
colours in fenestration, forms and a varied choice of apertures from the attached
schedule in Annex B.

4.4

Fuq il-fil stonework is to be adopted as the material for the facades. This
should be done neatly using a first class finish.
Division of the faade into top, middle and bottom elements using fascias
around building as well
Projecting features such as canopies, sun shading, overhanging roof etc.
to create shadows on the facades.
Developers will be able to choose from amoung the colours of Blue,
Green, Red and Yellow as a colour scheme for the apertures.
The colour scheme adopted for the apertures should be the same for all
the aperture in that particular unit and if possible varied from the
neighboring unit to create a varied streetscape.

FENESTRATION

Fenestration has an important role to play in the appearance and continuity of the
streetscape and its response to the local context.
Consideration should therefore be given to the size and amount of window coverage in
a building. Typically, there shall be a more solid wall than window opening to maintain
an appropriate character for a crafts village.
Windows are to be set back in their frames rather than positioned directly flush with the
building faade. This improves both the weathering and the appearance of the faade.
Window reveals should be a minimum of 140mm for single skin walls and 200mm for
double skin walls in all new buildings and where windows are replaced in the existing
building. Mirrored or deeply coloured glazing is not permitted.
Developers will be able to choose from the apertures in the schedule attached in Annex
B as options for the apertures.
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Any doors and windows, the lower edge of which is less than 2m above road level shall
not open outwards onto a public pavement or road.
4.5

PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

All plant and equipment should be screened or remote from public areas, particularly
from the street. These shall be located within the allowable building envelope and shall
be integrated within the design of the building. At roof level above the allowable
building envelope only photovoltaic panels shall be allowed. These will be setback 2m
from the edges of the roof of the building. The exception to this may be where stacks or
duct work that are necessary for the building function are carefully considered and
become feature design elements of the building.

COMBINING FEATURES

Consider using plant and equipment as design

Varied built form expressing different forms, features materials and


colours

Conceal unsightly plant such as air conditioning. These should not be


located on the facades of the building which are visible from a public space/street.

Use of landscaping for screening and shading units

Expressed office form and entry

Use of passive sustainable elements (water tanks / ventilation louvres) as


design features

Sustainable elements as design features

There shall be no service pipes, cables or wires visible on any building


faade which is visible from the street or public space.

Appropriate building signage.

All new developments shall be provided with a water cistern to store


rainwater run-off as required by Energy Performance of Building
Regulations 2012 and Technical Guidance Document F.

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4.6

OUTBUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES

Where there are numerous separate buildings on the site, the design of each should
be considered with the whole of site planning so that they may present as an
integrated development; where possible, future expansion and staging should be
considered so as to integrate these buildings. The use of colours, form and materials
should be complimentary and consistent.
4.7

SIGNAGE

Signs attached to buildings shall be designed to be an integral part of the building, eg


recessed in the faade, fascia or awning and incorporated as three dimensional
elements to add quality to the overall design concept.
Signage shall meet the following criteria:

Only one free standing or composite sign is permitted per plot;

All signs shall be designed as an integral part of the building fabric, and
shall be of a standard equal to and consistent with the building design and detail;

Signage painted directly to a building facade will not be permitted;

Signage options can be chosen from the schedule in Annex B;

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5.0

CHECKLIST OF ISSUES TO CONSIDER

a. ENDORSEMENT BY MIP
Have the drawings been endorsed by MIP Ltd?

b. BUILDING ORIENTATION
Has the orientation of the building been taken into consideration?

c. BUILDING HEIGHT
Is the height limitation respected?

d. BUILDING FORM
Are the mass and scale of the building appropriate for the location?

Are the materials and colours appropriate?

Does the signage form an integral part of the design?

Are the natural lighting and ventilation adequate?

Are the plant and equipment screened within the site?


o
Are the proportions, rhythm and details of the openings compatible with the
overall design?
o
e. SOLID TO VOID RATIO
Has the solid to void ratio been adhered to on all facades?

f. LANDSCAPING
Is the landscaping integrated with the layout?

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ANNEX A

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ANNEX B

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