![]() The VDC was finally inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Abela on 24 March 2021, while its roof garden was inaugurated a month later. The project had initially been scheduled for completion in 2018, but after several delays the planned opening date was moved to late 2019 and then to the second half of 2020. The project cost a total of about €10.4 million, including €4.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund. While works were ongoing, an open day was held on 15 December 2018 as one of the European Capital of Culture events. On-site renovation works commenced in 2017. ![]() The project architect was Amanda Degiovanni, while the roof garden was designed by the Japanese firm Tetsuo Kondo Architects. Engagement efforts made during the project's early stages involved various stakeholders including communities living in the area along with the design sector. The VDC's aim is to offer spaces for use by cultural and creative operators, and the renovation project also aimed to contribute to the urban regeneration of the lower part of Valletta. The conversion of the Old Abattoir into the Valletta Design Cluster was announced in June 2015, and it was one of several infrastructural works commissioned for Valletta's role as European Capital of Culture in 2018. Most of the building's roof had collapsed by the 2010s. The site fell into a state of disrepair and abandonment, remaining in a dilapidated state for decades. The planned interventions were not implemented, and parts of the building were occupied by squatters. Parts of the building were used as housing until the 1980s, when its residents were evicted as the site was earmarked for demolition and redevelopment into new housing units. The bakery ovens remained operational until the late 1980s and they still exist today. It housed residences and soldiers' barracks in the early 18th century, and later on parts of it were used for light industries including cotton spinning and bakeries. The building which now houses the VDC is reportedly one of the oldest surviving buildings in Valletta, and in the 17th century it was in use as an abattoir. History Bull Street ( Triq il-Gendus) with the Abattoir in the background, as photographed by Richard Ellis, c. The area had historically been neglected prior to the renovation project. The VDC is located in the lower part of Valletta, at the bottom of Old Mint Street ( Maltese: Triq iz-Zekka) and adjacent to the rear of Auberge de Bavière. Inaugurated in March 2021, it is housed in a former slaughterhouse known as the Old Abattoir ( Maltese: Il-Biċċerija l-Antika) which was originally built in around the 17th century. The Valletta Design Cluster (VDC) is a culture and creativity centre in Valletta, Malta.
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