Russian architect Svetozar Andreev has released a new vision for the stone Azure Window arch of the Maltese Islands. The iconic landmark collapsed after a storm in 2017, and Andreev proposes a new mirrored metal arch to take its place. Dubbed the Heart of Malta, the design was created as a polygonal form with the same size and proportions as the original limestone arch. Inside, a new exhibition space will include five floors connected by a central spiral.
These vast concrete dishes, which can be found along the northern and easterly British coastline, are sound mirrors. Originally designed to capture the sounds of incoming enemy aircraft as they approached the United Kingdom from across the English Channel and the North Sea (although one was also built at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq in Malta), these military listening devices acted as a rudimentary early warning system in the decades before Radar was developed and deployed.
Within the framework of the recent election of Malta to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union—a position that will be held through June 2017—architectural photographer Danica O. Kus has created a photo series detailing Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s Valletta City Gate in Malta.
