The distinctive feature of the architecture of Malta is the Globigerina limestone buildings. Since Malta's clay expands and cracks with weathering limestone is used in the homes. It has the colour of natural sandstone and is plastic enough to be sculpted to the last detail. This kind of building material has been used in this country since the Neolithic ages. Some of the oldest constructed buildings in the world that use Globigerina limestone are found in Malta.

Baroque style
The style of buildings is Baroque. Wide spaces, high ceilings, ornate motifs, curvaceously flaring are common features of this architecture. The houses of modern day Malta retain the large rooms and exuberant staircases skirted by stone or mahogany balustrades, protruding balconies and high ceilings as a legacy of this style of architecture.

Historical influence
The Medieval architecture of Malta closely aligns with the climate and lifestyle of the people. The Arabic influence can be seen in the farmhouses and caves which were constructed like catacombs. A number of families lived in these catacombs and each family home was defined by rubble walls.

Girnas
Peasants lived in Girna-which is an oval hut built of rubble and resembles the shape of an igloo with a pointed roof. The girnas retain a cool and constant air temperature and could be used to store vegetables. A number of girnas are still to be found in the countryside.

Country farmhouses
Country farmhouses display the impact of the Sicilian and the Arabic. These are cube shaped houses built around courtyards. The walls are plastered out of rubble and mud with rainwater spouts sticking out from the roofs. These are two storied buildings and are suitable for the Mediterranean climate. They are generally south facing to ensure exposure to the sun and the loggias are backed by a corridor through which rooms' branch out.

The corridor traps an insulating buffer of air so that the temperature in the rooms is constant in all seasons. Many houses have a pigeon rack hollowed on the surfaces of the walls and a square turret at one corner of the building. Some houses have an Arab style Muxrabija or a fine meshed wooden window screen or projecting box for occupants to watch the visitors without being seen. Chapels were built close to the house and were cube shaped with a nave and a high pitched roof.

Palazzi
The Palazzi resembles the country houses but are more decorative and have geometric patterns on them. The style of these buildings is Siculo-Norman and the twin arched windows mark the climax of medieval architecture.

The buildings, constructed by the Knights of Valletta, is a mixture of a number of styles-vernacular, the renaissance and the mannerist styles of Rome. The influence of the Baroque style of architecture is also evident in the buildings of the Knights.

British influence
The influence of the British can be seen in the military buildings and cluster of homes. The NeoClassical styles were popular among the British during this period and the imprint of it can be seen in the homes constructed by them in Malta.

The twentieth century brought with it the Romanesque, the Neo Gothic and the Art Nouveu styles of building. Hybrid styles have also emerged in the last half of the century.

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