Donnegall Quay Belfast

In collaboration with Morrison Homes Ltd, Ian Ritchie Architects prepared a feasibility study for a riverside site adjacent to Belfast City Centre.
The prime objective of the study was to maximise the site value, while establishing high architectural standards for a new generation of private housing developments alongside the River Lagan.
By adopting an organisational model inspired by ocean liners, a high density of apartments is achieved. Constructional techniques of in-situ concrete cross walls, precast concrete floors and glazed screen elevations provide the essential qualities of speed and economy of construction, while creating acoustically separated apartments enjoying ample natural daylight and ventilation.
Car parking is located at basement levels, liberating the ground floor for an adaptable retail floor with the potential for an additional mezzanine level.
Apartments rise in two wings which are drawn apart to allow sunlight to penetrate the central circulation volume. The roof is a cascade of overlapping glazing and translucent fabric, creating paths for natural ventilation. A series of promenade decks ‘floating’ in the centre of the circulation space provide access to the apartments. A vertical landscape penetrates between the decks while pools of still water form mirror-like reflectors of light and pools then flow into chasms to the retail level below.