Konrad Buhagiar is an executive director of AP Valletta. 

He obtained a degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Malta (1981) followed by a postgraduate degree in Restoration at the University of Rome La Sapienza (1985). Between 1985 and 1991 he was architect-in-charge of the Antiquities Section under the auspices of the Ministry for Public Works. In 1991, he co-founded Architecture Project, now AP Valletta. He has been responsible for numerous restoration and rehabilitation works in historic buildings and urban sites, including the new Valletta City Gate, the Parliament and the Opera House in collaboration with Renzo Piano Building Workshop; the award-winning Villa Castro (recently scheduled in its entirety, including the extension design by AP, by Planning Authority), the Barrakka Lift and the Phoenicia Hotel. Among other ongoing projects, Konrad is currently in charge of the refurbishment and extension to the St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum and the complex restoration of the St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral in Valletta. 

Konrad has lectured at the University of Malta and, among the others, at the Canterbury University College of Creative Arts, U.K., and at the New York University, U.S.A. He published numerous historical and academic articles and is regularly invited to contribute to several international conferences and seminars. He has been the chairman of both the Heritage Advisory Committee and the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee. Konrad is also the chief editor behind AP’s A Printed Thing and the Founding Myths of Architecture publication. 

Konrad received the prestigious President’s Award for Architecture at the Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning (MASP) Awards 2021, for his outstanding achievements related to architecture and spatial planning and his dedication to the creation of meaningful and timeless architecture on the island. In the words of the jury, “Perit Buhagiar contributed to the education, theory and practice of architecture. Through his work and writings, he is well versed in architectural research and in the promotion and advancement of architecture which have contributed to raise awareness in the built environment. His interest and work in the conservation of buildings was noted together with his inspirational design capability. His contribution throughout the years is considered to be outstanding.”

Photo Credit: Alexandra Pace