TODD Architects draws from people and place in its design for this teaching and student hub.
5 min read
In South Belfast, lime tree-lined avenues are fringed with grand Victorian villas and terraces turned smart coffee shops. Since the days of industrial prosperity and urban expansion, it has traditionally been the wealthiest wedge of the city; the BT9 postcode local shorthand for affluence. It’s home to Queen’s University, Northern Ireland’s only Russell Group institute and it’s only bona fide ‘red brick’; receiving its charter in 1845 and today considered a notably prestigious place of study.
The university’s estate, made up of variably sized pockets throughout the area, holds some of Belfast’s most architecturally important buildings. The most famous is undoubtedly the Lanyon Building, which graces posters, postcards and even the occasional tea towel. Less known, a building such as Riddel Hall – a handsome, Grade II-listed pile, built in 1913 to house female students and named for its benefactors, Eliza and Isabella Riddel. It sits within a 13-acre site, bordered by mature woodland, and is today part of Queen’s Business School – adjacent to the main campus, within a conservation area.
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