Valletta’s Triton Fountain came to life at the launch of the Valletta 2018 European City of Culture last month, and QP Management – Malta’s foremost project design, engineering and management company was at the heart of the project. The sculpture, that has been guarding the entrance to Malta’s historic capital for decades, was dismantled in February 2017, before being sent to Florence to be restored. In the process, around 3000 steel items and four tonnes of concrete (poured into the fountain’s figures in 1959) were removed, and replaced with a structural framework, designed by QP’s structural engineering team and manufactured in Venice.
For the fountain’s engineering works, which included new hydraulic and electrical systems and a state-of-the-art filtration system, QP’s building services expertise came to the fore. QP’s engineers designed the fountain’s lighting systems to suit various weather conditions and to complement the City Gate Project and Parliament building, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano. Overseeing the works were QP’s project managers who co-ordinated the many contractors that worked on the project, and under QP’s oversight the works were completed two months ahead of schedule.
David Xuereb, QP’s CEO, said the company was proud to have realised such a culturally important initiative. “The Triton Fountain will, once again, greet Valletta’s visitors with the dynamism and freshness deserving of such a culture-rich city in the Mediterranean,” said Mr Xuereb. “QP is honoured to have made this a reality that is now cherished and respected by locals and visitors alike”.
QP Management Limited is a subsidiary of IHI, providing world-class design, engineering and management solutions in the built environment in Malta and internationally.
Photo: Mark Sapienza
