Studjurban Gets Architizer A+ Awards Special Mention For Birgu Pjazza Project
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The regeneration project of Birgu’s main square by Studjurban completed last year, gained further international attention with a Special Mention award at the internationally recognised Architizer A+ Awards, placing it among a select group of projects acknowledged by one of the world’s most competitive architecture platforms.
Architizer is a New York–based architecture platform with its Architizer A+ Awards widely regarded as one of the largest global architecture awards programmes attracting thousands of submissions from more than 70 countries, spanning architecture, urban design, interiors, and conceptual work.
With a global digital reach exceeding hundreds of millions of users, Architizer’s awards have become a key benchmark for contemporary architectural visibility and discourse.
“In the context of Architizer’s highly competitive categories, a Special Mention at these awards is a deeply prestigious recognition of how our project for Birgu’s main pjazza has stood out for its design merit, its conceptual clarity and its contextual relevance, especially when considering that less than 5% of the thousands of projects that were submitted were chosen as Special Mention honourees,” says Studjurban’s founder perit Dr Antoine Zammit.
Dr Zammit explained that Birgu’s Pjazza Vittoriosa project stands out because it represents a fundamental shift in how public space should be conceived and experienced.
“At its core, our intervention reclaims the square as a social and cultural meeting place, transforming it from a car-dominated environment into a pedestrian-first urban landscape that prioritises human interaction, accessibility, and spatial clarity,” said Dr Zammit.
Prior to the project, around three-quarters of the square was dominated by vehicles, leaving only 23% of the space for people. Today, 56.5% of the square has been reclaimed for pedestrians, with vehicular space reduced to 43.46%, effectively returning the square to the community.
“The project also became a central example of Studjurban’s approach to urban regeneration and public design and reflects the studio’s ongoing commitment to rethinking Maltese urban spaces through context-sensitive interventions that prioritise pedestrian experience, spatial clarity, and cultural continuity,” added Dr Zammit.
This latest international recognition for Studjurban adds to its growing list of accolades, including the BIG SEE Awards and the Malta Business Awards as Local Cultural Contributor, further consolidating the studio’s position as one of Malta’s leading voices in contemporary urban design.
