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ULSTER UNIVERSITY BELFAST CAMPUS, NORTHERN IRELAND
BRIDGES
The four separate buildings are linked by three bridges which also reconnect York Lane to York Street
similar tones. According to Tyler, it is the “natural choice for the largest industrial city in Ireland.”
On the upper levels, gable ends of brick give way to long flanking walls clad in glass. This reduces the impact of the building’s mass and reflects the “dramatic skies which are frequently present in Northern Ireland,” adds the architect.
Structural details
As a way of providing long term flexibility for future change in this busy location, the building is based on a 12 x 6 metre clear span RC structure in which floor plates can be used for offices, classrooms, labs, and “social learning environments.” The four separate component buildings are linked by three bridges which reconnect York Lane to York Street. The main pedestrian bridge, spanning York Street, is supported by a three-storey bridge over York Lane, achieved using vierendeel and warren trusses that interconnect and support each other.
This structural feat is dramatically displayed on level two, where a massive
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warren steel truss is expressed on one side of a “social learning gallery” adjacent to the library. This display of engineering “highlights the intricate interplay between form and function in the building’s design,” say the architects.
The new art school building is designed with an impressive feature at the upper three storeys known as ‘The Lantern’. This triple height glazed volume is perched on top of a six storey brick plinth and houses a painting and sculpture studio. These upper levels cantilever 6 to 9 metres from the main structure. Again, this is achieved through the use of an internally exposed warren truss that supports the extended floor slabs. “We worked with the structural engineers to refine the truss members, integrating them into the industrial aesthetic of the workshops and framing views to the lough and historic shipyards,” says Tyler.
Programme & functionality Originally the project was going to house six faculties, but this was consolidated down to four during the course of the build:
ADF MAY 2023
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