Last weekend (6th to 8th November) marked another successful year for The Architecture Student Expo. An event organised by SACES, which celebrates all the work done by the Faculty for the Built Environment.
It gives students; from Diploma to Masters and Doctorate levels, an important platform for “their work and research to be transformed into a resource for our island’s policymakers and planners.”
Craig Bonello, SACES’ current President told us, “The expo serves to show the public that students graduating from the course are capable of producing fantastic architecture which heavily contrasts the current state of the industry.” (I guess this means we should be expecting some wonderfully drastic architectural changes from our freshly graduates in the years to come!)
Showcasing student’s work beyond campus grounds helps to extend the Faculty’s reach beyond their little bubble. Craig carried on telling The Third Eye, “we are rather cut off from the rest of campus, and seeing how we are in the course together for 6 years it’s only natural that we tend to gravitate towards each other. However, this means that a lot of the public isn’t really aware of what we do as a Faculty, and I feel that the Expo really helps to shift the publics perception of the profession.”
So, think of the Architecture Student Expo as an ice breaker for the entire student body and an eye opener for the general public on the topic. But, the motives of this expo exceed the basic showcasing of students’ ideas, works and innovations according to Craig. It is also sending out a message to stakeholders in the industry, particularly developers and investor, that “there is more than just the basic contemporary cereal box design that we’re seeing dominate our streetscapes. The expo is an outlet to display that the problems with our current construction industry is not based on our capabilities but due to the lack of resources and old mentality that dominates the industry”, Craig continued to tell us.
Like all other things, the pandemic had a huge impact on the way the expo was done this year. In contrast to last years event, sadly SACES was unable to host an opening night. This was a pity, as it would have been nice to have a large-scale event with all professionals in the field under one roof. However, the situation is what it is, so they had to limit the number of people inside the exhibition space at all times to reduce the chances of transmission. This year they also developed a website with all the works available digitally, which in certain ways worked out better for the Faculty, as it really increased the public’s access to the exhibition.
Craig left us with a comment for the student community, regarding the current climate of rampant development in Malta:
“I think that the most important thing is to be sensitive to what is happening around us. It’s important to notice things, question them and speak out. An active student community is always beneficial and could really challenge decision makers. Apathy is the enemy of change, and if we want change it has to start from us.”
Feel free to check out their virtual expo from here!