The Royal Opera House Car Park

An article written by Lucy Daniel in the FT's Weekend supplement of 21-22 January caught my eye. Architectural journalist Robert Bevan has written a book called The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War.

I think any Maltese person who feels a marked dampening of the spirit everytime she walks through the hideous garage door of Bieb il-Belt and past the ruins of Barry's Opera House, would find this book interesting. If the euro/ewro/George Cross/Dun Karm/Kristu debate has rekindled questions of identity, what does the way we've treated architecture say about us?

I haven't bought the book yet so here are some snippets from the article:

(Bevan) shows how reconstruction has been used to mould, construct and falsify history and national identity. Historic Warsaw, devastated by the Nazis, was rebuilt in replica after the second world war in an astonishing display of resolve.

It is not a misalliance of sympathies to describe buildings as "vanquished" or "murdered". These are sentiments we can all understand, through deep-seated attachment to our own treasured built environments.

¶ 4:38 AM