Team
Lead Perit/i: Perit Dr Pierre Farrugia/EBD Solutions
Architectural Design: Perit Dr Pierre Farrugia/EBD Solutions
Structural Engineering: Perit Dr Pierre Farrugia/EBD Solutions
Building Systems Engineering: Ing Victor Bonello/Beenel Engineering Solutions
Peer Review: Buro Happold
3D Modelling: Perit Roderick Bugeja
3D Visualisation: Perit Zheni Kostova
Detailing & Drafting: Kyle Gatt
Contractor Site Management: Nigel Borg/GP Group
Project Management: Sapienza & Sullivan, Perit Andrew Sapienza
Site Coordination: Perit Roderick Bugeja
The Voco Bridge demonstrates how engineering ingenuity can transform urban circulation, delivering maximum impact with remarkable efficiency.
Commissioned as part of the Eden Leisure Group’s redevelopment of the Voco Hotel in St Julian’s, the bridge connects three distinct destinations: the Intercontinental Hotel pool deck, the Voco Hotel’s Level 4 public piazza and restaurant, and the public lift stop at Level 6. By resolving these complex multi-level connections in one seamless gesture, the bridge has become both a structural innovation and an urban landmark.
The structural form is a circular tubular steel truss, chosen for its ability to distribute forces efficiently while maintaining an elegant, lightweight appearance. The geometry allows the bridge to achieve both strength and slenderness, with tubular members that balance stiffness and transparency. The result is a structure that hovers gracefully within a dense urban setting, avoiding visual heaviness while delivering robust performance.
Innovation extended into construction. The entire steel superstructure was installed in just one day, a feat enabled by precision off-site fabrication and meticulous logistical planning in one of Malta’s busiest entertainment districts. The deck and stairs, executed in precast concrete, further accelerated assembly, ensuring high quality with minimal disruption to hotel and public operations.
Durability was integral to the design. The steelwork was hot-dip galvanised and coated to resist the harsh coastal environment. Glass balustrades with integrated LED lighting give the bridge a dual identity: rigorous structure by day, civic landmark by night.
Crucially, this innovation was achieved with extraordinary economy. The entire bridge was delivered for under €400,000, proving that advanced engineering can be both ambitious and cost-effective. In terms of value-for-money, the project represents a balance between structural and functional performance and budget discipline.
Functionally, the bridge has transformed circulation within the Voco and Intercontinental complexes, providing safe, universally accessible connections while enhancing the public realm. Guests, staff, and visitors move fluidly between different levels; the once-disjointed site is now reconciled in a single movement. This has strengthened not just the hotel operations but the wider urban fabric of St Julian’s.
The Voco Bridge embodies engineering innovation on multiple fronts:
• Form: a circular tubular truss, rarely applied in Malta.
• Method: one-day installation with precast integration.
• Durability: galvanised steel and robust finishes.
• Identity: a structure that is both functional and symbolic.
• Economy: delivered at a relatively low cost for its scale and complexity.
In combining structural elegance, sustainable construction, rapid delivery and civic contribution, the Voco Bridge sets a new benchmark for pedestrian infrastructure in Malta. It demonstrates that innovation is not measured by cost or scale, but by the intelligence of design and the value it creates for people and place.
Images © EBD Solutions
