SAS Malta

SAS Malta is a structural engineering and architecture practice working from San Ġwann, in the middle of the island's main urban belt. It designs the frames and foundations that hold buildings up, draws the buildings themselves, surveys and values property, and advises on restoring older stone structures. Its clients range from private owners with a house of character to developers planning apartment blocks, commercial centres and public infrastructure.

For a UK reader the practical appeal is a single team that can cover the engineering and the architecture of a Maltese project, rather than two firms passing drawings back and forth. That matters whether you are buying a plot, converting an old townhouse or checking the structure of a building before you commit. SAS appears on VisitMalta.co.uk in our directory of architects in Malta.

Who SAS Malta is and how it is led

SAS aims to deliver inventive, sustainable design while keeping a firm grip on cost and quality. Its approach rests on four ideas: professionalism, quality assurance, customer service and value engineering. Value engineering simply means analysing a design systematically so that costs come down without losing performance or function, a habit that shows up repeatedly in its project descriptions.

David Paul Grima is Executive Partner and the principal civil engineer and architect. He studied architecture and civil engineering at the University of Malta, graduating in 2005, and went on to a postgraduate diploma in the conservation of masonry structures at the same university and an MSc in advanced concrete structural engineering at Imperial College London. He worked with established Maltese practices before setting up SAS, and he is warranted as an architect and civil engineer by the Government of Malta and by FEANI, the European federation of engineering associations.

Francesca Busuttil, also an Executive Partner, joined in 2022 to reshape how the practice is run, covering bookkeeping, staff management, project coordination and the office environment. Her earlier background in management and real estate helps bridge the gap between the technical team and clients. George Fenech has been part of the structural engineering team since 2020 and now holds the role of Associate Partner. Around them sit architects, junior structural engineers and architects, technicians and a planning executive.

Structural design and consultancy

Structural design is the discipline that decides how a building carries its own weight, its occupants and the forces acting on it. SAS offers structural design and consultancy for new buildings and for alterations, combining technical knowledge with modern analysis tools. Many of its project write-ups mention finite element analysis, a computer method that breaks a structure into thousands of small elements so that stresses can be checked precisely and material used efficiently.

That efficiency is a recurring theme. On the Mriehel Commercial Centre, a development of 35,000 square metres beside one of Malta's busiest roads and still in progress, the structural scheme used thin flat slabs refined through finite element analysis, a large underground car park, central atriums to bring in daylight and facades designed to improve thermal performance and cut maintenance. An apartment block in Msida shows the same thinking on a smaller scale, with three levels of underground parking, commercial units at ground floor, residential floors above and economical transfer slabs carrying the load between them.

One apartment block in the portfolio was taken over from another engineer, so the practice can pick up a job partway through. If you are an owner or buyer facing a structural question on an existing property, the enquiry form on this page is the way to raise it.

Architectural design

Architectural design sits at the core of the practice. The architects draw up apartment blocks, mixed commercial and residential developments, villas, houses of character and hospitality schemes, aiming for spaces that suit their surroundings and are comfortable to use. Having architects and structural engineers in one office means the layout of a building and the structure beneath it can be developed together, which often avoids late changes.

The portfolio spreads across the island and into Gozo. Projects are listed in places such as Sliema, St Julian's, Swieqi, Qawra, Marsaxlokk, Żebbuġ, Għajnsielem and Xagħra, and in Mellieħa in the north, which our Mellieħa area guide covers. Visitors who know the Gozo guide will recognise the island's village settings, where an apartment complex in Xagħra and a block in Għajnsielem sit among traditional streets. The portfolio also includes a guesthouse, hotels, a beach club renovation in Sliema and an old people's home in Fgura among its work.

Larger schemes show how far the range goes. One development on the site is described as a 5,500 square metre residential and commercial scheme with three basement parking levels, a commercial area at ground floor and six residential blocks containing two hundred apartments.

Conservation and restoration

Malta's streets are full of limestone buildings that are centuries old, and restoring them takes different skills from building new. SAS has a team that combines knowledge of historic architecture with current restoration techniques, with the aim of strengthening a building without erasing its character. David Paul Grima's postgraduate study of masonry conservation underpins this side of the practice.

The Palazzo in Balzan is a good example. A historic mansion in the heart of the village was converted into a modern home, with extensive steel alterations and new construction to reinforce the structure and a pool designed to sit comfortably in the grounds. Other restoration and character projects include a house of character in Birkirkara, another in Attard, the restoration of a dilapidated house in Żebbuġ and The Cloisters, which was split into two phases: restoring a scheduled building and demolishing a non-scheduled one.

If you are drawn to the idea of owning a traditional property, reading about the Knights of Malta or exploring the historic town of Mdina and the capital city Valletta shows why careful conservation matters here.

Valuations and surveys

SAS also provides valuations and surveys. The team carries out property valuations, condition surveys and feasibility studies to support real estate and development decisions. For a buyer from the UK, a condition survey is the closest equivalent to a building survey at home: an independent look at the state of a property before you commit to it.

Feasibility studies are aimed at people at an earlier stage, for example an investor weighing whether a site can take the building they have in mind. The aim is accurate assessment that informs decisions, and the work can be paired with structural or architectural design if the project goes ahead.

Landmark and infrastructure work

The most prominent public project on the site is the Marsa Flyover, an EU-funded scheme that began in 2018 and is described as the largest road investment in Malta's history. It comprises 12 kilometres of carriageway and 3.5 kilometres of footpaths and cycle lanes, with seven main structures built from prestressed beams, deep steel sections, abutments, steel bridges and large underground structures, all analysed with finite element methods. Planting beneath the flyovers includes Aleppo pines, cypresses and rosemary.

Other infrastructure and civic work includes the St Venera Bridge on the Marsa to Ħamrun bypass, a structure at Salina Wharf, a wall system using nail piling at Tal-Gordan and the engineering faculty building at MCAST, a reinforced concrete complex finished in 2014. In St Julian's the portfolio includes Mercury Tower, one of the most recognisable buildings on that skyline.

For visitors, many of these buildings are everyday landmarks: the roads you drive along from the airport, the apartments you may rent and the hotels you may book. Our about Malta guide gives the wider picture of how the island has grown.

Working with SAS Malta

The practice is based at The Hub Workspace, Suite E301/309, Triq Sant'Andrija, San Ġwann SGN1612. San Ġwann is a busy residential and business town close to Msida, Sliema and Swieqi, so it is easy to reach from most of the central area by car or bus.

The site invites visitors to book an appointment with one of its experts. To start, describe your property or plan, say which service you need and mention any deadlines. Fees are not published, so cost is something to discuss directly. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to SAS Malta. If you are weighing a move first, our Malta relocation guide covers the wider decisions.