San Pawl tat-Targa, Malta

An Exceptional Award winning  corner semi-detached villa, constructed and finished only 10 years ago located in the prestigious area of San Pawl Tat-Targa. Property is flooded with light and built and finished by present owners with a contemporary design and for great functionality as a family home. The property has an innovative inverted layout and is super energy-efficient.  Internally, the house’s layout is inverted having the main living areas placed at the top of the property and the 3 bedrooms are located on the lower floor, allowing for cooler spaces in summer that are also easier to warm up in winter.

A very bright open plan kitchen, living and dining area is complimented by large double glazed apertures, including a 6 metre picture window at the kitchen end facing West that takes advantage of beautiful sunset views. The living area extends onto a very private outside terrace area leading onto a 10 metre long lap pool, sun deck, bbq and outside kitchen area and affords great entertaining space and outdoor living.

The lower levels enjoy natural light through a central courtyard that reduces the reliance on artificial lighting, receiving direct light from the morning sun which diffuses into the bedroom areas and indirect light in the afternoon, when the courtyard is in the shade, reducing heat gains to the rooms that surround it while still providing desired daylighting.

A key design element of this home is the solar chimney which doubles as a lightwell, traversing three storeys from the courtyard on the lowest level which heats up air at the top through a glazed skylight.

Together with the solar chimney, 18 PV panels for passive energy generation and a fully insulated building skin throughout, the walls and roof contribute to a net-zero energy (NZE) building. The presence of a basement provides a plenum set at a constant temperature while reducing humidity levels in the upper living areas. A right material palette of marble, granite, concrete, perforated steel and bamboo set an elegant tone for the whole property.