Architecture in Northern Ireland is growing in momentum.  Our cultural visitor centres and places of education are now taking their place as some of the best designed buildings globally. 

Northern Ireland’s manufacturing companies, with their incredible skills set and technical expertise, breathe life into buildings by allowing designs and concepts to come to reality right here in Northern Ireland

Design has gained momentum because architects know they have this incredible team behind them.

The Bernard Crossland Building (Queen’s University Computer Science Centre) uses 450 multi-coloured glass panels to create an amazing external façade.   The company responsible was GlasSeal in Balnahinch who manufactured each individual fin using a process few other companies in the UK Ireland can offer.

The stone mullions surrounding the Giant’s Causeway visitor center were designed and manufactured by Kilkeel stone contractor McConnell and Sons who perfectly imitated the towering basalt columns of the volcanically formed Giant’s Causeway.

Inside the MAC Theatre in Belfast, you are transported to industrial-age Belfast due to the intricate building design and textures.  It was Armoy Company K Henry Construction who took on the complex manufacturing of a 15m-high feature, cast-in-situ concrete wall.  The MAC is internationally renowned for its conceptualisation and design and this building has received a national RIBA Award for Best Overall Building.

SENSITIVE ARCHITECTURE

Northern Ireland has gained a reputation for sensitivity in architecture by restoring amazing buildings giving them new life.  This is especially evident in Churches and historic buildings.

Alongside construction company H&J Martin, Dunagannon-based company Glenford Engineering took on the project of restoring feature trusses inside the Guildhall in L’ Derry – a project presenting many structural challenges that were all able to be met here in Northern Ireland.

Again, this is evident in the restoration of the prestigious Lynn Building, Queen’s University Belfast – a project placed appropriately in the hands of Consarc Conservation, Belfast.  To preserve the unique architectural character of the building, Consarc, alongside Woodvale Construction in Omagh, sensitively restored the roof to its natural glory.  Internally and externally it’s a stunning piece of architecture

EMBRACING CHANGE

In terms of architecture, 2020 is passionate about designing buildings which are innovative and forward thinking.  We place significant emphasis on educating the public in new ways of doing things and we love to see new concepts to fruition.

On this points, 2020 Architects have installed a fully immersive Virtual Reality Suite in their office premises in Ballymoney – the first architects in Northern Ireland to do so.  Using a VR headset, clients can stand in a photo-realistic environment and look around. Not on a screen, but in the same way they do in the real world. By tilting their head up, they can see the ceiling and lighting design, by looking straight forward, feature-walls and room design and by looking down select flooring options.

By transforming 3D CAD models into interactive walk-throughs, architects and clients can evaluate aesthetic and design alternatives in real time.

We are finding this is bridging the gap between architects, manufacturing, and construction companies, enabling design alternatives, specifications and decisions to be synchronised between all the relevant companies – saving time and money.

For more information, telephone 028 2766 7999, email info@2020architects.co.uk