Some of Malta’s most impressive architectural restoration and regeneration projects have been recognised at the 20th edition of the Din l-Art Ħelwa Architectural Heritage Awards.The annual awards, the oldest of their kind in Malta, celebrate projects that breathe new life into historic buildings and spaces while respecting the islands’ architectural heritage.This year’s biggest winner was Stilla San Mikiel by Valentino Architects, which received the prestigious Judge Maurice Caruana Curran Award, the ceremony’s highest honour.The project also shared the Rehabilitation and Re-use of Buildings award with Elementi by MAAK.Meanwhile, the Former Oil Depot Garden, developed by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, scooped two awards, winning both Regeneration of an Area and the newly introduced Landscape within a Heritage Context category.The Restoration and Conservation Project award went to the Butler’s House by de Valier, a project transforming an 18th-century building in Attard into a contemporary arts and events space.The winners were selected following site visits by a panel of five judges, who assessed each project on architectural excellence, conservation standards and sensitivity to its surroundings.The jury praised the architects and clients for demonstrating how overlooked buildings and spaces can be transformed into vibrant places with a new purpose.“Key projects demonstrated how sites that might have otherwise been overlooked held the potential to be transformed into viable, vibrant and future-facing places,” the judges said.The ceremony took place at Dar il-Ħanin Samaritan in Santa Venera, an architectural landmark designed by Professor Richard England, with the awards presented by Elizabeth Camilleri on behalf of sponsors PwC Malta.However, the celebrations also came with a warning about the future of Malta’s architectural heritage.Din l-Art Ħelwa Executive President Patrick Calleja highlighted the organisation’s ongoing efforts to protect threatened historic sites, including its campaign to secure Grade 1 protection for the British Barracks at Fort Chambray.He also called for the same level of protection for Gustav Vincenti’s Palazzina Vincenti in St Julian’s.“Development is inevitable but the ruination of our heritage is not,” Calleja declared.He stressed that the awards are about more than celebrating successful projects, describing them as a platform for advocacy and action to safeguard Malta’s built heritage.Now marking two decades, the awards continue to highlight how restoration, creative design and thoughtful regeneration can give Malta’s historic spaces a new lease of life.•