LOCATION: University Square, Belfast
CLIENT: Queens University Belfast
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Woodvale Construction
COMPLETION DATE: March 2015
CONTRACT VALUE: £570k
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The two-storey, grade B listed, Lynn Building has been beautifully refurbished to create a Graduate School in a key historical location on the Main Site. The School reflects an integral strand in the University’s Vision which is to develop a vibrant and ambitious postgraduate and postdoctoral culture, with significant increases in postgraduate taught, postgraduate research and postdoctoral numbers.
The ground floor offers reception and administrative support space, training facilities, meeting rooms, and social spaces. The building’s first floor features a central open-plan, double height, vaulted space with masonry gothic arches and aisles to each side. This is a really impressive and beautiful internal space featuring a Postgraduate Study Room (with individual study desks) in one area, as well as a large social/breakout/circulation space, with smaller rooms coming directly off the aisles.
Externally, the glazed link which used to connect the first floor of the Lynn Building to the first floor of the former Library Tower (now being redeveloped as a new home for the School of Law and social hub) has been removed, restoring the building to its original stand-alone status. The exterior brick and stonework has also been restored and the building re-roofed.
A new entrance gives level access from the north-south pedestrian walkway running from University Square to the Quad. As part of the overall redevelopment of the area, the space between the Lynn and the Lanyon buildings (previously used as a car park) has been landscaped and ground lighting installed to highlight entrance routes and illuminate building facades.
Project development costs were £4m.
LOCATION: Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast
CLIENT: Diocesan of Down and Connor
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Felix O ‘Hare
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
St. Brigid’s Church is one of the main Catholic Churches in South Belfast seating up to 800 worshippers. The layout is based on a traditional plan but the spiritual and secular spaces are separated by the use of changing levels and volumes.
The materials used in the construction of the church, influenced by the vernacular character of Victorian Belfast, were selected for their natural texture, colour and detail.
The Church design is described as “quite a simple hall section most elegantly detailed (and coloured), clearly a calm and comfortable place to be, with the roof forming a uniting canopy above both ministers and congregation. Mortuary, baptistery, stairs, entrances, sanctuary are allowed to grow naturally out from under it to make a well-balanced composition of both general and particular space”.
LOCATION: Adelaide Street, Belfast
CLIENT: Department of Employment and Learning
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Grahams Interior Fit Out
COMPLETION DATE: April 2016
CONTRACT VALUE: £1.4m
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Adelaide House is situated at 39 – 49 Adelaide Street, south of Belfast City Hall. The seven storey office building was developed by a local developer in the mid 1990’s and now houses the government Department of Employment and Learning.
This £4.5m refurbishment project ran for 80 weeks, carried out in 3 phases. This project entailed the internal re-fit of the ground and upper floors 1 to 7 to create modern, open plan office & facilities accommodation for up to 600 staff.
LOCATION: Weavers Court, Belfast
CLIENT: Weavers Business Park
MAIN CONTRATOR: H&J Martin
COMPLETION DATE: JAN 2014
CONTRACT VALUE: £150k
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Weavers Court is a campus style business park adjacent to Belfast city centre and the major transport hub of Great Victoria Street Bus and Rail. The building has been designed with its own unique identity suitable for a range of potential occupants. The project has made use of the existing mid 1800’s warehouse/office building on the site of the development and incorporated this into the refurbishment.
The scheme has made important use of its roof space being so close to the tall business district and has arranged the entrance location and aesthetics to allow the narrow building to address the entrance to the site. The Creative Industries Building at Weavers Court comprises over 2,000m2 of divisible floor space.
LOCATION: Donegall Road, Belfast
CLIENT: Latt Ltd
MAIN CONTRACTOR: H &J Martin
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Park Centre in Belfast was the subject of a major extension and refurbishment in 2008. It is one of N Irelands longest established shopping Centres and the project required that there was the minimal mobilisation of traders.
Phases of work undertaken have encompassed a number of major improvements, including extensions to provide additional floor space. The existing Mall was upgraded to provide a refreshed image. This included improved levels of natural and artificial lighting, creating an enhanced shopping experience.
The project was carried out in two phases the latter involving refurbishment of the Centres Mall and main entrance of the existing complex with a contract value of £5m.
LOCATION: Brownstown Park, Portadown, Craigavon
CLIENT: Craigavon District Council
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Mc Aleer and Teague
COMPLETION DATE: March 2014
CONTRACT VALUE: £215k
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The existing Brownstown Centre accommodation comprised a Main Hall, entrance foyer, kitchen, office & ancillary spaces with a two team changing pavilion adjacent incorporating garages, toilets & stores.
Demolitions removed everything leaving only the Main Hall & rear stores.
The Main Hall & stores received various alterations including replacement of win-dows, ceilings, doors & a total internal & external finishes refurb. All existing M&E services were replaced with new.
The new build works provided a new 2 storey extension comprising: 2 storey en-trance hall, draught lobby, ground floor multi-purpose studio, staff office, toilets, kitchen & 4 no. changing rooms with referee & disabled access changing facilities, first floor meeting rooms, mezzanine & dance studio, new car park & lighting. refur-bished road access & the extension of the existing car park facility.
The Electrical Services Installation was a refurbishment of the existing main hall and a new build extension to the front and rear of the centre.
LOCATION: Townhall Square, Omagh
CLIENT: Omagh District Council
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Gilbert Ash
CONTRACT VALUE: £10.5m
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The architectural award winning Strule Arts Centre in Omagh is a new build project, constructed at a cost of £10.5 m and commissioned by Omagh District Council. The new multi-purpose building features a 400 seat theatre, visual arts gallery, dance studio and cafe.
The award winning centre is a prominent landmark development in the town of Omagh and beyond.
The project proved challenging but satisfying. The client sought low emission and sustainable credentials together with technically advanced control arrangements due to the acoustic and lighting performance requirements of a theatre.
LOCATION: Festival Road, Portadown
CLIENT: Craigavon District Council
MAIN CONBTRACTOR: Mc Aleer and Teague
COMPLETION DATE: July 2014
CONTRACT VALUE: £157k
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The existing Killicomaine Centre comprised a main hall, entrance foyer, kitchen, office and ancillary spaces.
Demolitions removed the kitchen, entrance hall, toilets and the ancillary spaces leaving the main hall and the rear stores only.
The main hall and stores received various alterations including the replacement of all windows ceilings, doors and a total internal and external finishes refurbishment. All existing Mechanical and Electrical services were replaced with new.
The new build works provided for a new entrance hall, lobby, multi-purpose studio, staff office, toilets, kitchen and a preschool facility.
Site works included the provision of a new car park with lighting, refurbished road access with road lighting, new pedestrian footway, relocation and refurbishment of the existing children’s play park and the installation of a new floodlit Multi Use Games Area.
LOCATION: Station Road, Antrim
CLIENT: Northern Health and Social Care Trust
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Woodvale Construction
COMPLETION DATE: July 2014
CONTRACT VALUE: £160k
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The works at Antrim Health Centre focused on the refurbishment and upgrade of the existing sections of this large Health Centre.
The project was complex and demanded a phased approach to the refurbishment of more than 100 rooms in a live, medical environment which houses 5 individual GP practices.
With considerable demolition works and subsequent alterations Antrim Health Centre was reconfigured with the creation of many new amenities for its patients.
LOCATION: Antrim Road, Mallusk, Newtownabbey
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Lagan Construction
COMPLETION DATE: June 2014
CONTRACT VALUE: £210k
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The project involved the construction of a purpose built large portal frame distribution warehouse consisting of 2 storey offices to the front elevation and located on a green field site which required service diversions overhead HV cables.
The new 29,000sqft storage / distribution warehouse and office accommodation was purpose built for a worldwide Pharmaceutical distribution company. The works included a fully sprinklered and temperature controlled warehouse with office and conference accommodation over 2 floors. Externally there are 5 loading bays and car / lorry parking and landscaping.