See Marsa- Art Museum in Malta

Project idea

SEE Marsa is designed as an architectural experience of art itself, a journey through space, form, and light. Rooted in the site’s historical and social context, ‘SEE Marsa’ invites visitors both to “see” and subtly references the surrounding “sea.” This museum redefines art as something to be experienced spatially, where positive space, negative space, deep space, shallow space, and three-dimensional space come alive. The visitor’s path moves from intimate, underground into brighter moments of natural light, revealing framed vistas of Marsa’s industrial and coastal surroundings. It concludes with immense light-filled galleries that celebrate both contemporary art and historical memory. The museum invites visitors TO SEE to experience Malta’s art, land, and spirit while also allowing Maltese artists and heritage TO BE SEEN on an international stage. Permanent collections like Victor Pasmore’s works and flexible spaces for living artists ensure a vibrant, evolving cultural presence.
Materially and environmentally conscious, the museum emerges as part of the earth itself, shaped by the use of limestone and a strong service spine that naturally supports ventilation, cooling, and circulation. SEE Marsa transforms a historic power station into a living, breathing space of art, vision, and community, honouring the past while building a future.

Project description

This project consists of the following parts, A)Entrance Hallway -With a 300mm rise from the road level, the entrance features an angled solid
limestone wall with the museum's name carved into it. Visitors enter through this defined threshold into a narrow entrance hallway, guided by a central light well on the ceiling that aligns with the building’s centre line. B)Grand Hall : Carved into the cliff with a ziggurat-shaped roof rising to 7 metres, the Grand Hall is a monumental space aligned with the central axis. At its far end, a vertical light pipe directs a beam of natural light onto a solitary stone sculpture, subtly revealed as one enters. This space serves as both a moment of awe and a key junction, leading to the reception, cloakroom, and main circulation routes. C -Reception and Cloak Room;On the left side of the Grand Hall is the reception and cloakroom, enclosed within a 3.1-metre-high volume that contrasts with the grandeur of the main space.,

Rainwater Harvesting Chamber- This chamber, located at ground level, collects rainwater from the roofs via the service spine. It also houses the heating and cooling ducts, which begin horizontally from the cliff entrance and run vertically to the topmost level.
facilitating natural ventilation and passive cooling throughout the building.
Giftshop Area: Positioned on the ground floor as a projecting volume from the cliff. The gift shop is designed to be visible from the exterior, with artworks displayed on its walls. This creates a sense of curiosity, drawing people in and inviting them to explore the museum further.

H; ATRIUM- Sun Rhythm Form-ore space for orientation to the permanent museum collections and the archive.
– Core for circulation: main passenger lifts, escalator, and access to the stairway.
At the heart of the floor, a light well extends down to the ground level, reinforcing the centrality of the core and adding to the spatial ambience. Twelve angled walls and five straight-facing walls form the atrium into a star-like shape, contributing to structural stability. Each of the twelve angled surfaces is carved with symbols of the twelve ascendant signs.
Two chamber galleries with carved murals and a collection of paintings by Victor Pasmore, a British, Malta-based artist. This special collection includes his abstract works.
The excavation and projecting spaces are fine-tuned with his work. ‘His art often balanced positive and negative space, creating dynamic compositions that invited viewer interaction.
Key elements: Permanent Chamber Galleries
– Light well (Projecting element on the cliff)
– Rock-carved space with uneven roof
– Dark negative space with ambient lighting
– Circular edge cuts on the walls align with the axis
– Enfilade arrangement: two chamber galleries leading to the sculpture garden
Art Archive: A naturally chilled archive built into the cliff, which houses artworks from the permanent collection as well as other museum artefacts. Limited access is provided with special tour reservations.

Sustainability and Environmental Response; the key environmental design element of this design is the Service spine that runs vertically and horizontally throughout the structure, holding heating and cooling ducts, electrical wiring, and rainwater systems. This centralised spine decreases energy loss and promotes a sustainable building management system, allowing for more effective, accessible maintenance and servicing from each floor. Its interconnection from the bottom floor to the topmost level ensures a consistent building performance.

Technical information

Sustainability and Environmental Response; 1.Service spine-the key environmental design element of this design is the Service spine that runs vertically and horizontally throughout the structure, holding heating and cooling ducts, electrical wiring, and rainwater systems. This centralised spine decreases energy loss and promotes a sustainable building management system, allowing for more effective, accessible maintenance and servicing from each floor. Its interconnection from the bottom floor to the topmost level ensures a consistent building performance.
• Heating and cooling strategy
• Rainwater harvesting
• Rainwater recycling
• Low carbon foot print

2. NATURAL LIGHTING- The building uses controlled natural lighting techniques considering Malta’s high level of solar exposure. The galleries with a sawtooth roof is oriented to get mixed of northern and southern light, which is best to have true colours of paintings.
•A Sawtooth roof is oriented to get mixed of northern and southern light, which is best to have true colours of paintings.
•Light pipes are located on top of the cliff to get natural light inside the excavated chambers.
•Ribbon Windows and Vertical Narrow windows Are placed to have adequate lighting and capture views.
•Light wells to have natural light while keeping the most of the walls free to display art.
3. Cross Ventilation- Strategic placement of openings, vents, and transitional spaces (such as verandas and atria) allows for passive cross ventilation. The cliff-side entrance, open terraces, and enfilade arrangements promote air circulation across the galleries, reducing the need for mechanical ventilation.

4.Heat Recovery Ventilation & Air Conditioning
The building uses a mixed strategy of natural ventilation and mechanical systems. Cool air is drawn from underground tunnels and circulated through vertical ducts inside the service spine, passively cooling the building. A Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system is integrated to reuse the cooled indoor air before it’s expelled, reducing energy use. During warmer months, an efficient air conditioning system supports this setup to maintain comfort. This approach lowers operational energy demands and supports a low-carbon footprint.
5.Recycled Limestone; Recycling the existing limestone from the site in the excavation process, The tunnel inside the cliff involves lots of lime stone, these lime stone will go through various recycle process to make it stone masonry blocks to the building. . This reduces the building’s embodied carbon footprint and promotes circular design principles.
6. Naturally Cooled Archive;
Carved into the cliff, the archive benefits from the geological insulation provided by the earth. This method keeps the temperature steady and low, which is good for art preservation and reduces the need for energy-intensive climate management.

The archive space is passively ventilated through ducts connected to the service spine, which pulls cooler air from the underground tunnels.
low-energy dehumidification system, activated only when relative humidity exceeds ideal preservation levels.

Carved into the cliff, the archive benefits from the geological insulation provided by the earth. This method keeps the temperature steady and low, which is good for art preservation and reduces the need for energy-intensive climate management.

The archive space is passively ventilated through ducts connected to the service spine, which pulls cooler air from the underground tunnels.
low-energy dehumidification system, activated only when relative humidity exceeds ideal preservation levels.
7. Photovoltaic Panels ;Solar panels are installed on the upper roof levels, and the massive building next to the scheme

8.Waste Management Strategy-
Waste sorting stations and collection points are integrated discreetly into service areas. Greywater from the building is filtered and reused for irrigation, and organic waste from the café is composted on-site.

9.Mobility & Accessibility
Universal design principles are embedded throughout, with accessible ramps, elevators, and step-free connections between all public levels. The Marsa lift from the masterplan provides a direct, barrier-free link from the ground floor (0mm) to the top park level (+17m)
The rear of the building has direct service access to the road, Lorries can access closer to the Service door, from there can access to the service lift, which makes the artworks transportation easy.

11.Cliff Terrace- A key public space at the summit, the cliff terrace combines views of Marsa Harbour with passive climate control features. Its rubble walls, shaded seating, and stone paving cool the space naturally while accommodating visitors in comfort.

10. Trees & Solar shading- Solar shading in the design is achieved through a combination of architectural overhangs at the cliff terrace and strategically placed deciduous trees. The overhangs reduce direct solar exposure on glazing and terrace areas, particularly during summer when the sun is high. In parallel, deciduous trees are planted along pathways, near the entrance at the ground floor, in the courtyards at the level 3. These trees provide natural shading in summer while allowing solar penetration during winter when they shed leaves.
‘ARCHITECTURE AS PART OF THE EARTH’