ODYCY LIDO
Client
AX GROUP
Location
QAWRA, MALTA
Status
COMPLETE
Footprint
4,770sqm
Consultants
TBA PERITI (structures)
Simon Abela (ID*cheeky Waters and wet areas)
Sara Brincat (FF&E*cheeky Waters and wet areas)
The redevelopment of the ODYCY Lido in Qawra, is deeply rooted in the historical and environmental significance of the region. Qawra, characterized as a meeting point between land and sea, has evolved over the years through human intervention and natural processes. This project aims to interpret these relationships by adopting a design which integrates natural and cultural elements, uncovering lost memories, and rewriting the Lido into the ongoing urban narrative. A key intervention included the enhancement of the coastal promenade, working to create a continuity with Bugibba and St. Paul’s Bay, and reorienting the peninsula away from the inland sprawl towards Qawra creek and the boundless sea beyond. In doing so, both the historic and urban legibility of the place were reproposed, allowing for a greater degree of integration with its surroundings, and a more contextual approach to the overall design. Weaving a narrative that traces the site’s etymology and historic layers, the project ties back to its sense of place, linking the land to the sea; the site’s history to the present. The juxtaposition of variety and the rhythmic repetition of elements is used as an architectural device echoing the potential for journey and return symbolic of the seashore itself – urban nodes allow the pedestrian to slow down, rest and ponder while being placed in constant tension with the potential offered by the sequentially layered adjoining spaces. By fragmenting the lido volumes, pedestrian flow was invited deep into the project, proposing a dynamic, village-like environment that seeks to enrich the overall guest experience, and integrate the public realm back into the promenade experience. Moreover, this allowed for a futureproof, flexible framework that allows for the project’s continued evolution. Overtly aware of the public realm, the ODYCY Lido redevelopment is not merely limited to accommodating tourists introspectively, and in so doing, the confident architectural gesture actively contributes to Qawra’s sense of place. Through this contextual approach, the project seeks to create a balance between the past and the present, the commercial and the public, the manmade and the landscape.