photo: Perit David Muscat standing proudly ahead of the prestigious project during a routine site inspection
Over the past six years, PManage has been handling the project management for the soon-to-be-concluded Mercury Towers – arguably the most iconic property developments on the Islands. “We were involved in this ambitious project from the outset, handling everything from planning and preparations, to permits, overseeing construction works, conducting feasibility studies and managing procurement,” Perit David Muscat, a Founding Partner, and Managing Director explained.
The project is now in its final stages of construction and finishings, with the residential and hotel areas scheduled for completion over the coming weeks. Within the same timeframe, the construction of the tower will be completed, enabling the finishings to be carried out.
At the age of 42, David is the project leader of one of the most talked about structures on the islands. He obtained his Architect’s warrant in 2004, with an interest in high rise buildings that dates back to his university days, when he wrote his thesis about the subject. David explained that the project is also close to the heart of client Joseph Portelli – a leading developer on the Islands, whose subsidiary, Mercury Contracting Limited, is carrying out the works on the project. David is proud to note that over the past 6 years, since the inception of Mercury Towers, he has developed a strong synergy with Mr Portelli.
“We were very excited about working on this project, because of its scale locally and also because it bears the signature of Zaha Hadid,” David added enthusiastically. Hadid – an internationally renowned architect was involved in the design of the project itself and personally met the developer, however she passed away shortly afterwards and David especially regrets not having had the opportunity of meeting her in person.
photo: artistic impression of the outdoor swimming pool area of the Phase One tower, to be made uniquely possible thanks to the high tensile strength structural iconic element grafted into the tower’s 9th and 11th floors.
The company still today works very closely with Hadid’s team. Initially, PManage paid frequent visits to London, to work on the concept design and development process with the team. “Her touch was still felt throughout the project. The team thinks outside the box, testing structural boundaries. We still hold weekly meetings with them even now – albeit online, to finalise design aspects and liaise with other stakeholders,” Perit Muscat explained.
About the Project
The project includes two phases, Phase One being a 68,140m², 31-storey tower, with Phase 2 being a 65,000m², 22-storey, multi-use tower and podium structure.
The intended use of the tower is mixed, with residential apartments and hotel rooms in the lower part of the building and hotel rooms in the upper. The floors local to the twist will accommodate amenity space, services and the hotel reception. The two most iconic features of the Phase
One tower is that it partially straddles a listed building; Mercury House, which is to be retained on the site and integrated into the design. Furthermore, the twisted area between levels 9 and 11 has been rooted into its design and structure; driven by a multitude of factors, with the foremost being Zaha Hadid’s mantra of challenging the rule that a building has to be 90 degrees, along with the owners’ will of embracing empowering change.
This unique structural iconic element has a multitude of functions: to embed a unique design both within the building as well as throughout the town itself, and to gain high tensile strength beyond its dimensions; thus allowing for better use of the available space and unique views of the pool area and its surroundings.
It also has allowed for the withstanding of structural pressures whilst leaving the underlying listed site unencumbered by the overlying and surrounding development.
The Phase Two tower features an extensive landscaped terrace which extends over the podium, thus creating a unique and green recreational space.
” The project includes two phases, Phase One being a 68,140m², 31-storey tower, with Phase 2 being a 65,000m², 22-storey, multi-use tower and podium structure “
For the prestigious Mercury Towers project, we collaborated very closely with the client. Our role is to manage the project itself and act as a key liaison between the consultants, contractors, the technical team and architects, as well as the client’s own internal team,” David explained. The project’s smaller of the two towers; the hotel; is now complete in terms of construction, and the facade and internal works are being installed and executed.
The larger residential tower is now in the final phase of completion. The project will house an element of offices and retail outlets, and will be mainly residential. “Mercury Towers is sure to have a ripple effect on its surroundings and we are already hearing of interest from other developers to enhance neglected sites close by,” David told us.
The site of what is now Mercury Towers was originally the Maltacom hub, and prior to that it had been a telecommunications hub dating back to the 1900s. The original property also featured an underground bunker, in case the site was bombed during war. The bunker, housing original equipment, will be restored as an integral part of the project.
photo: a focus point of a bespoke element underlying the development’s structure
The original property also featured an underground bunker, in case the site was bombed during war. The bunker, housing original equipment, will be restored as an integral part of the project. The project itself dates back to 2016, which saw the formation of the planning stage, together with applications for permits. “We worked closely with Zaha Hadid’s team and managed the planning process and followed up on permits, interacting with the Authorities as well as the local architect. There was a lot of going back and forth and fine-tuning at that stage,” David recounted.
By 2017, excavation and demolition works had begun and within a year the construction of the foundations for the building was underway. Whilst people are reluctant about modern construction and development (also because of the debris and inconvenience), general reaction to this development, and to the rejuvenation of a neglected area, is perceived to be highly enthusiastic from population and professionals alike.
Undeniably, the project will go down in local history for the boldness of its design. “The twist in the tower’s structure was a mind-bending feature for the entire team to sort out. It’s a one-of-a-kind project, which has never been done before. The customised structure required bespoke solutions and highly specialised equipment to install the facade,” David enthusiastically explains.
” Our role is to manage the project itself and act as a key liaison between the consultants, contractors, the technical team and architects, as well as the client’s own internal team “
The most notable steel element is provided as a three-storey deep, three-dimensional truss structure at the twist. The design for this steelwork has been carefully developed to coordinate with the base concrete structure and to take advantage of the preceding core construction to minimise temporary works. This is particularly important bearing in mind the 6 to 7m adjustment on plan of some columns and floor edges, all 50 to 60m above ground level.
photo:PManage’s dictum on quality, precision and efficiency has been evident throughout all construction phases of this development
The development of Hadid’s design for Mercury Tower’s signature twisted facade was carried out in collaboration with Italian contractors and structural engineers, to ensure the structure’s stability. The cladding of the twist itself is made with fibre-reinforced concrete – the colour of which was personally selected by Hadid, as she wanted to assimilate the colour of local stone. The fibre-reinforced concrete cladding and precast concrete were the only materials which could have met the selected colour and shape requirements
” The twist in the tower’s structure was a mind-bending feature for the entire team to sort out “
For this project we needed materials which could handle the local sea environment, under aggressive weather conditions and still cope comfortably with the huge loadings. This meant that we also had to run a number of tests to ensure the high performance required of the structure,” David said. He detailed the range of stringent quality testing measures carried out on the building’s materials. “All materials used for the project are tested in a laboratory locally – including the concrete and steel.
In addition, we also randomly select copious strategic samples of material, when it arrives on site. Our suppliers also independently test samples of all prepared batches,” he added. Various elements of the facade (which is composed mainly of aluminium, double-glazing and concrete) had to be tested for the worst case scenario before being procured and installed.
The unique nature of the project entails some features which are not common in local property development, such as anti-seismic elements being built into the structure (due to both height and shape). Wind tunnel testing was carried out in the UK, using a model of the actual building; taking into consideration a radius of 200 metres around the building.
” Wind tunnel testing was also carried out taking into consideration a radius of 200 metres around the building “
In addition to the scale and complexity of the project and its structure, Covid provided another challenge to the project. “For a time we were restricted to online meetings, making the process longer and more complex.” David saod. In addition, the lenghty construction time-frames inherent to the project created another challenge, due to fluctions in market demands. Some areas which had originally been envisaged as offices had to be reconfigured, due to change in local market demand for other uses.
“While we had to factor in the implications of the changes, our deadlines remained the same,” David said. He explained that Covid has changed companies’ approach to the workplace, with the realisation that people can work remotely, without having to physically be in the office, or in the same country, for that matter. This has caused a decrease in the demand for office and parking spaces. There has been a notable shift from renting floors of office space for company premises, to the use of rent-per-use boardrooms, offices and hot-desks.
” While we had to factor in the implications of the changes, our deadlines remained the same “
“For us it is business as usual. We are still handling large projects. And we are coming to a point where developers are recalibrating their property and construction sectors in which to invest. This is also due to the European directives which are encouraging a shift towards more eco-friendly and carbon-balanced footprints,” David concluded.
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