Over the past few years, 3DMArchitecture have found ourselves increasingly unsettled by the Maltese built environment, not only by what we are seeing, but increasingly, about how we are feeling within it. As a young architectural design practice in Malta, we understand the importance of context and human experience in design, but looking around, we realised that we are losing the very thing that gives architecture meaning: a sense of place.
This realisation unfolded gradually. It began through quiet conversations in the studio − about the pace of development, the fragmentation of our streetscapes, the absence of identity in so much of what was being built. Architecture seemed to be drifting further from its essential role: to connect people to their surroundings – through light, proportion, material, space… Somewhere along the way, we as a profession stopped asking: how should this place feel?
Those internal conversations eventually led to ISSA, a 2023 installation at the Venice Biennale presented by 3DMArchitecture. It was an expression of that discomfort—a visceral reflection on the fragmented nature of our contemporary architectural identity. But we knew that a critique was not enough. We needed to respond with a distinct direction, a way forward.
That response is MINIMA.
From loss to rediscovery
MINIMA is the product of years of reflection and careful design. It is not a style or a branding exercise, but a philosophy. A distillation of everything we believe architecture can and should be—rooted in place, timeless in principle, and resonant with the rhythms of life.
In many ways, MINIMA is a return. A return to the classical and the primitive; to the elemental relationships between geometry and light, proportion and material. It reconnects with nature—not as a backdrop to architecture, but as its foundation. It draws on ideas embedded in Malta’s earliest buildings: from the cosmic alignments of prehistoric temples to the intuitive harmony of our vernacular streetscapes. These environments were shaped not by ego, but by environment, function, and feeling.
Equally, MINIMA represents a rediscovery of Mediterranean architecture—not just in form, but in logic. Passive strategies once integral to building in our climate have been neglected. We have stopped designing with the sun, the wind, the shade. We have become reliant on mechanical systems where natural solutions once sufficed. In doing so, we have not only lost environmental performance—we have lost architectural intelligence.
The Mediterranean tradition teaches us how to work with climate, not against it: through thick walls and narrow streets, deep-set apertures, shading devices, cross-ventilation, and thermal mass. These weren’t stylistic flourishes—they were environmental responses. Today, instead of building on this knowledge, we too often ignore it. MINIMA insists that we can no longer afford such laziness. We must re-engage these methods—not as nostalgic gestures, but as necessary tools for a resilient and place-sensitive architecture, allowing modern tools to enhance comfort, rather than compensating for its absence.
A design ethos, not a style
The twelve projects featured in the MINIMA publication span different types and scales − residential, commercial, hospitality − but all are built around the same six principles:
- Pure forms
- Scale & proportion
- Geometry & articulation
- Materiality
- Monochromatism
- Light and shadow.
Each principle functions as a guidepost. Together, they encourage restraint and intentionality, placing emphasis not on spectacle, but on clarity and depth. These values can’t be legislated or forced − they must be cultivated through culture, design thinking, and long-term vision.
Importantly, MINIMA does not propose a single answer. It offers a lens. A way of thinking and designing that centres human experience, permanence, and quiet beauty.
Today’s responsibility
As contemporary practitioners, we are also realists. We know that regaining a sense of place does not begin in abstract theory − it begins with practical, daily choices. What can we do today?
Part of the answer lies in engaging with the systems that shape our built environment − planning policy, building regulations, development priorities. These frameworks should support design quality, not just quantity. We advocate for clear design standards and better accountability within bureaucratic structures. Not more rules − but better ones.
There is also work to be done within the profession itself. We believe strongly in collaboration across disciplines and studios. Collective action − through dialogue, critique, and shared learning − can elevate the standards we hold ourselves to. Architecture should never be about isolation. It’s a civic act. It belongs to everyone.
“Architecture is a civic act: it belongs to everyone.”
Tomorrow’s hope
Beyond the systems of today, there is something far more powerful: the shaping of mindsets. If the current condition is one of disconnection, then our greatest long-term responsibility is cultural.
This is where education becomes central. Not only academic education, but public education. We need to bring architecture into the everyday conversation −to help people understand how space affects their lives, how buildings shape behaviour, how beauty can be functional, and how context can deepen experience.
This is the work of tomorrow: influencing the next generation of architects, planners, and citizens to ask better questions and demand more meaningful spaces. The future lies in cultivating taste, curiosity, and awareness—not just technical skills.
Learning from what came before
Throughout history, the best architecture has emerged from a deep alignment between environment, material, and human need. From Vitruvian principles of order and proportion to the subtle materiality of Tadao Ando or Alvaro Siza, we are reminded again and again that design grounded in simplicity and empathy transcends trends.
We look to these examples − not to copy, but to learn how timelessness is created. MINIMA aligns itself with that tradition. It argues that permanence and relevance are not at odds. That through careful design, rooted in clear principles, we can build for both now and what comes after.
The loss of place is not irreversible. But addressing it requires shared effort. As a studio, we have tried to contribute what we can − through our work, our publication, and the conversations we hope to stimulate.
MINIMA is a beginning, not a conclusion. It is our way of taking responsibility for the places we shape, and encouraging others to do the same. We believe that architecture still holds the power to move us − not just functionally, but emotionally. It begins with intention.
This article is written by Maurizio Ascione of 3DM Architecture.
