Written in stone

Archaeologist and cultural heritage specialist Edward Calleja reads buildings the way others read history — through material, memory, and time. He speaks with Lea Hogg about what Malta's evolving skyline gets right, what it risks losing, and what it truly takes to build for the ages.

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There is something quietly reflective about Edward Calleja. He speaks softly, as though weighing each thought before it settles into conversation. His tone is calm but assured, the kind of confidence that comes from years spent observing, researching, and understanding the story of the Maltese landscape.

Calleja is not an architect. His training is in archaeology, a discipline that teaches patience, perspective, and the slow reading of time through fragments of stone and structure. After graduating in archaeology in 2003, he built his career around cultural heritage and field research, eventually leading archaeological work that later became part of a design and engineering consultancy, where he now heads the Cultural Heritage discipline.

Archaeologists like Calleja are often present before construction even begins, monitoring excavations, documenting discoveries, and ensuring that whatever lies beneath the ground is understood before foundations are laid. Perhaps that is why his viewpoint on buildings feels different. When we talk about design in Maltese architecture, the discussion quickly moves beyond trends or aesthetics. Calleja looks for context and permanence.

Design in limestone

Which of the structures in Malta today will still matter in a hundred years? For Calleja, enduring architecture is rarely accidental. "Buildings that last," he says, "are usually the ones that belong to their place. They use the materials of the island, they respect the scale of their surroundings, and they age with dignity rather than against it."  For Calleja, what survives is rarely just what was built well.

Structures such as St John's Co-Cathedral, the fortifications of Valletta, and the historic urban fabric of Mdina are clear examples of buildings that have demonstrated extraordinary resilience. "Their longevity lies not only in their architectural beauty, but in their deep relationship with place," Calleja explains. "The use of local limestone, the careful proportions of buildings, and the way these structures engage with the surrounding landscape create environments that feel both coherent and timeless. These are places where architecture, urban planning, and craftsmanship work together to form a lasting cultural identity."

Edward Calleja

Historical significance, he believes, gives architecture its cultural depth and continuity. It is not style or decoration alone that is lasting, but strategy, planning, and a deep understanding of context. Calleja references the era of the Knights of St John. Figures like Cassar, Laparelli, and Gafà combined military engineering, urban planning, and architectural elegance to create structures and cities that remain relevant centuries later. "They show us that enduring architecture is rarely about decoration alone. It's strategy, planning, and a deep understanding of place," he observes.

Malta's modern skyline

Calleja is also deeply engaged with Malta's contemporary architectural evolution. The island's skyline has shifted dramatically in the past two decades, yet the question of which structures will endure, architecturally and culturally, remains open. Large regeneration developments are beginning to hint at possibilities for impactful urban design. Projects such as Mercury Towers, the Zaha Hadid-designed high-rise development in St Julian's, where multidisciplinary teams have transformed underused sites into mixed urban quarters, reflect a broader shift in Maltese development thinking. Rather than isolated buildings, these schemes aim to create ecosystems where residential, commercial, and public life overlap.

Residential complexes such as Townsquare, a mixed-use development in Sliema centred around a 27-storey residential tower, landscaped public spaces, retail areas, and the restored 19th-century Villa Drago, and Shoreline Residences, a waterfront housing project in SmartCity, embody a generation of developments responding to denser urban realities and changing lifestyles, Calleja notes.

Their architectural language is unapologetically modern. "The real measure of a building," Calleja remarks, "is not how it looks on the day it opens, but how it continues to function decades later and whether people still want to live there, walk through it, meet in its spaces." Architecture, he suggests, becomes less about the object itself and more about the life that unfolds around it.

Some of the most compelling projects are not entirely new. Regeneration initiatives such as Ta' Qali Artisan Village reveal a quieter but equally powerful architectural approach, one that respects what already exists, says Calleja. By restoring industrial structures and weaving contemporary interventions through them, the project reconnects craft, heritage, and modern use in a way that feels both rooted and forward-looking. It is here, perhaps, that Calleja's archaeological instincts surface most clearly. "The buildings that are resilient are often the ones that understand where they stand in the story of a place," he says.

What makes architecture last

If predicting a building's longevity sounds speculative, Calleja approaches it with the calm pragmatism of someone used to thinking in centuries. Endurance rarely comes from spectacle or architectural bravado. More often, it emerges from a careful equilibrium between heritage and innovation, between understanding what a place already is and imagining what it might become.

"Buildings that last usually interpret their surroundings rather than imitate them," he says thoughtfully. "They respect the character of a place, but they're not afraid to introduce new ideas. When that balance is right, architecture feels both grounded and forward-looking."

On an island like Malta, that relationship with place is often written directly into the material itself. For centuries, local limestone has shaped the character of towns and villages, lending buildings a colour and texture inseparable from the surrounding landscape. Yet materials are only part of the story. Architecture must also respond to climate, light, and the patterns of human activity. "The structures that people remember," Calleja says, "are the ones that continue to serve their communities. They adapt, they weather, and they remain useful. That's what ultimately keeps a building alive."

Everyday heritage and context

Beyond grand monuments, Calleja is concerned with a quieter, often-overlooked layer of architecture. Traditional townhouses, vernacular homes, and modest civic structures are increasingly at risk from redevelopment pressures. "These buildings may seem ordinary," he observes, "but they form the backbone of our towns. Lose them, and you lose the subtle story of everyday life and the way people lived, worked, and built their communities."

"There's wisdom in the ordinary," he adds. "It teaches us how to build well, without having to reinvent the wheel."

Calleja emphasises that architecture is never an isolated act. Buildings endure when they integrate seamlessly with their surroundings, contributing to a coherent urban environment. "A structure on its own might impress," he reflects, "but it's the streets, squares, and public spaces around it that determine whether it really lives." Large-scale master planning, in his view, allows architecture to perform as part of a larger system, enhancing both longevity and public value.

Malta's architectural evolution, he notes, has always been a negotiation between preservation and innovation. "The island's history encourages conservation, yet the future demands creativity," he says. "The projects that endure are those that respect the past while embracing new design and technology. Balance is everything."

Design for communities

For Calleja, public perception and cultural relevance are equally decisive. Buildings are ultimately measured by the relationships they foster with the people who inhabit them. "Architecture and design belong to its community," he says. "Those that resonate socially and culturally are the ones that get remembered, protected, and loved by generations to come."

When asked what advice he would give today's architects aspiring to timelessness, he smiles. "Design with environment, climate, and culture in mind. Don't chase trends or visual spectacle. Build for people, and build to last. Architecture and design become timeless when they serve their community and grow into the life around them."

Unsurprisingly, his favourite period remains the Knights of St John, whose vision still dominates Valletta's streets and plazas. "It's a perfect example of how urban planning, engineering, and architecture can combine to create something both functional and lasting," he says.

"Every building is a conversation across time," he concludes. "The ones that endure are those that listen to what came before, respond to the life around them, and leave space for the future."

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