Architecture on demand : efforts to preserve Malta’s architectural drawings

Abstract

Architectural drawings are more than just the mechanical mapping of a building. While they do serve as an important source of information about a built environment, they also provide a wealth of information about our heritage and can even be considered works of art. As blueprints to original structures, ‘the range of their uses is extraordinary: they can show what an original building looked like, possibly one that has since been demolished, or one that has been adapted’. This is especially important in a place such as Malta, where many of its historical structures are continually being altered in efforts of modernization. While the exterior of the building might remain intact, the interiors can be completely renovated until they retain no resemblance to their former selves. Buildings are an often overlooked link to the past, reflecting a specific period of time or change of government. Their very design contains information on day-to-day life, cultural influences and emerging technologies. Unfortunately, ‘architectural drawings still represent a greatly under-utilized and vulnerable archival resource’. This important primary resource is obviously invaluable to architects and builders who may be working on a historic site, but they are also useful to scholars and historians as well as local preservation groups. Architectural drawings can also be used as evidence to settle land and building disputes. However, access to drawings held within an archive can be limited by staff shortages, viewing times, and the often bad state of preservation of the items. Not to mention the time it takes to select the exact document needed in a collection that could contain thousands of drawings. The National Archives is actively seeking a solution to this dilemma, and as it embarks on a large-scale digitization project, it hopes to provide online access to its architectural drawing and map collections.