Retreat : the architecture of a getaway

Abstract

The dissertation looks at the architecture of a getaway: dwellings responding to the desire for escape. It aims to present their typological evolution over the course of time, placing it in the context of the emerging and changing understandings of leisure and tourism, as well as societal, political and cultural occurrences: stressing that architecture does not exist in a vacuum (Architectural Review, 2021) but rather responds to, and inspires, the wider phenomena. The development timeline, achieved through review of descriptive data: literature, archives and visual media, provides the background for establishment of emergent themes, which then form part of the discussion about getaway architecture’s character and affordances beyond the provision of holiday accommodation. The European and Maltese context are analyzed separately and then contrasted to provide an understanding of the characteristics of local architecture of a getaway, with interviews with professionals and field observations affording a more in-depth analysis of the state of Maltese leisure. A level of interdisciplinarity, tackling the fields of anthropology and sociology, is crucial in providing a holistic view of getaway architecture and tracing its impact, as a key part of the ever growing tourism industry, on society, landscape and culture. The findings prove that getaway architecture is a complex phenomenon rather than a simple set of formal typologies; not only susceptible to the influence of the external factors but also possessing a transformative agency, shaping the reality. The development of Maltese leisure architecture is shown to be mostly aligned with the European timeline, with certain geographical and political factors adding to its unique character.