CASA BOTTEGA STRIKES A BALANCE BETWEEN ARCHITECTURAL RESTORATION AND CONTEMPORARY LIVING

AN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE TO CONSERVE

Valletta, which has been a UNESCO World History Site since 1980, has seen a remarkable cultural and sociological revival in the last 20 years, sparking a movement to respect and reclaim its architectural heritage. Over hundreds of years, the city’s structural foundation has remained stable within its defended walls. As a result, the structural and functional constraints associated with the restoration of historic buildings have frequently presented an intriguing challenge for architects, who have been tasked with striking the right balance between innovation and tradition, between cultural heritage preservation and new needs of contemporary living.

In this context, architect Chris Briffa, already a connoisseur of Maltese reality and the author of various projects there, purchased a highly deteriorated city centre period residence. Three years of studies, safety precautions, and the rehabilitation of the structures and original plan of the building followed, rebuilt to suit the architectural studio with numerous multipurpose areas for presentations and meetings.

The first phase of the project contained a ground-floor gallery, a basement prototype workshop, a first-floor atelier, and a huge hall, or piano nobile, on the second storey, which acted as a buffer zone between the working areas and the household environment and was later enlarged. Original elements such as floor tiles and window and door apertures have been completely restored and reintegrated. The façade has been preserved in traditional Maltese stone, with the large outside mirador, or enclosed wooden balcony, that graces the piano nobile skillfully recovered.

Fima Bathroom faucet collection fits in nicely with this viewpoint, with its MAXIMA line reinterpreting the typical three-hole solution with aesthetic flourishes and a stronger focus on consumption. The end result is a thorough restoration of the building’s authenticity, balanced against the demands of modern comfort and sustainability, without altering the historical context inside the city centre.

A CONTEMPORARY LIVING PROJECT, WITH SHARED & PRIVATE SPACES

The second phase of Casa Bottega’s extension featured the construction of a modern two-bedroom penthouse on the roof of the historic structure. This is the home of architect Briffa and his family. It’s a fascinating way to live, including a new degree of isolation into the project in terms of the public and workplaces. It is, nonetheless, a contemporary architectural grafting on a traditional home, switching out design language and materials while maintaining cohesive lines with the urban setting.

The new addition is supported by two prefabricated reinforced concrete beams that transfer the whole weight of the penthouse to the side-party walls, relieving the structure of any additional stress. Steel rails follow the orientation of the beams, creating outdoor living areas on lushly manicured terraces.

Through the precise separation of room’s openings and vertical volumes, the penthouse interacts with both the outer landscape and the existing historic building below. Indeed, private and public areas become more traditional as you descend, with the piano nobile holding an architectural library, a music room, and a home theatre. The first level features semi-public work areas, while the bottom floor is open to the public.

The piano Nobile, on the other hand, serves as the most powerful connection between the public and private spheres. It is not a discrete boundary zone, but rather a space of leisure and conviviality that transitions nicely into the residential area with its more evident modern character.

LIGHT, MATERIALS & FIMA TAPS & FITTINGS FOR CASA BOTTEGA

The decor of the Casa Bottega project are carefully balanced with contrasts of light and dark, cold and warm, inside and outside, and closed and open, especially in the penthouse. Light here serves as a catalyst for the project’s existing atmosphere.

Light pours into Casa Bottega through massive perimeter openings, skylights, and glass walls, illuminating the oak flooring and warming the grey concrete structures and stunning stainless steel kitchen, which serves as the home’s heart and looks out into the garden terraces.

The sleeping area is more private thanks to the subdued but personal lighting. The grazing light from the floor-level window and the two ceiling portholes create a delicate, exquisite mood that envelops the master bedroom and bathroom. The shower space is a required, linear volume served by a wall shower column from FIMA’s wellness solutions and offers a direct view of the double bedroom. The wall solution, which comes in a matt black finish, includes an adjustable showerhead and a detachable hand shower. The controls are from the FIMA’s maxima collection, a classic series with a cross-shaped design that has been modernized.

The clever use of FIMA’s Maxima Premium bathroom fittings is also seen in the washbasin area, which has a three-hole wall solution and twin sinks accented with Venetian terrazzo impression tiles.

The bathroom on the first floor of the penthouse was then outfitted with a Maxima three-hole surface-mounted tap solution in white, inspired by the portico of the neighboring St John’s Co-Cathedral. The space here exhibits a subtle transition between the historic building and the contemporary penthouse, with plainly recovered components such as the opus incertum, or crazy paving, marble floor.