EM Architects

EM Architects is a multidisciplinary design practice in Gżira, the waterfront town beside Sliema. Its founder, Dr Edwin Mintoff, is an architect and civil engineer who was among the first Maltese architects to earn a doctorate in architecture and urban design, and the firm that carries his name has been operating for more than thirty years.

It is an award-winning practice and works both in Malta and overseas. If you are comparing firms, our architects in Malta directory lists other practices alongside this one.

Design philosophy and team

The firm's design thinking rests on urban architecture: the idea that a building should sit comfortably in its surroundings and that the spaces left between buildings deserve as much care as the buildings themselves. In practice that means looking at streets, squares and shared areas, not only at a single plot.

To support that approach the office keeps several professions together. Architects, urban planners, interior designers, structural engineers and technicians work in the same practice, which can simplify communication for a client who would otherwise brief each discipline separately.

Services from planning to cost control

The range is wide. It begins with land use and environmental planning and urban design, moves through architectural and interior design, and extends to civil, road and structural engineering. Land surveying, quantity surveying and cost consultancy complete the picture; a quantity surveyor measures and prices the work in a building project, which helps keep a budget under control.

Property investors reading our financial services in Malta overview will find this breadth useful when a development has to meet planning, engineering and cost targets at once, and anyone planning a move can start with our UK guide to relocating to Malta before asking a practice about a renovation or a new home.

Projects to look at

The practice highlights five projects. 14 East Tower has topped out at 21 storeys, making it one of the highest buildings in Malta. The Milano Due Hotel in Sliema has finished construction and is moving through its finishing works; if you are choosing a base, our hotels in Sliema page shows the area.

FIMBank's headquarters at Pendergardens was commissioned in 2009, with location, appearance, function, air quality, energy efficiency and long-term sustainability all considered. Shoreline, at SmartCity Malta, balanced residential space against sea views and the lagoon outlook. Skyparks was the first building in Malta to receive BREEAM certification, an international rating for sustainable buildings.

Anyone interested in how the islands' older townscapes compare can browse our guides to historic Valletta, the Three Cities harbour towns and our overview of Malta.

Why a combined practice can help

Construction in Malta draws on several kinds of expertise: an architect shapes the design, a civil or structural engineer makes sure it stands safely, a surveyor measures the land and the quantities, and a planner deals with how the project fits local policy and the environment. When these specialists sit in one office, drawings, calculations and budgets can be checked against each other as the design develops.

For a UK buyer or investor this can be reassuring, particularly if you are not on the island week to week. You can ask the practice to explain which of these roles it will cover on your job, what you will receive at each stage and who your main contact will be. Malta's warm, sunny climate, covered in our Malta weather guide, also makes shading, ventilation and energy use worthwhile topics for any first meeting.

The practice invites messages through a contact form and a mailing list for news, so it is easy to keep in touch as a scheme moves forward.

Visiting and getting in touch

The office is at 119 Sliema Road in Gżira, a short journey from Valletta, so it fits easily into a trip. Our where to stay in Malta guide helps you choose an area, and the flights to Malta page covers getting here from the UK.

The simplest first step is to use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page. Describe your site or idea and we will pass the message to EM Architects, who will answer you directly.