M.Eng. Thesis Project Award

COMMERCIAL AND LEISURE HUB
THE SEA MAIDEN

The proposed project, ‘The Sea Maiden’ is a Commercial and Leisure Centre (Hub) located at the gates of the Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. This project, combined with a new permanent super yacht marina, will create an extension to the existing harbour, offering both locals and maritime travellers a huge array of local products, services and leisure facilities. This would provide a stepping stone for a sustainable niche touristic industry to be introduced to Gozo.

This proposal is rather innovative as the centre stretches outwards into the sea, unlimited by extents of land boundaries, promoting all aspects related to both commercial and leisure activities whilst endorsing the Gozitan identity and characteristics to the international community.

The yacht marina would provide hundreds of berthing spaces specifically reserved for visitors, with ample spaces for large yachts to superyachts to berth. These will enable visitors to resupply ‘at sea’, whilst serving also as a self-catering resort. Such projects will offer all amenities including sanitary facilities, spas, pool and fitness areas; along with a provision of a 24/7 security, serving as a resort at sea.

This centre will provide attractions for all the needs of both the traveller and the local, of different age groups; offering game rooms and pool areas, lavish gardens, restaurants and takeaways, fine dining and living areas, night clubs, bars and a casino. This could become a key attraction for the younger Gozitan generation.

Whole sways of the hub such as the gardens and upper floors; will be dedicated to the public where the locals can also enjoy time along with some of the best views of the Gozo-Malta straits. These public areas will serve as a common meeting point for the local and the traveller, becoming a centre of social interaction.

The extension of the existing harbour along with any future development of the Malta-Gozo tunnel link, will keep the harbour area bustling with tourists, whilst freeing/opening up more space for future developments. It also removes the necessity for more yacht marinas spread all along the Gozitan coastline, thus protecting it.

Being a semi floating structure it reduces the environmental impacts on the sea scape of the location, and being a concrete structure, it also exhibits lower maintenance needs and a longer lifetime use. Thus the project will enable the local economy to flourish in a sustainable way, whilst exhibiting the Gozo as an identity to the international community.