PRS Havelock House, Belfast

Havelock House sits prominently on Ormeau Avenue, one of the primary arterial routes into Belfast from the east.

The building was for some 50 years the home of broadcaster Ulster Television (UTV).

The site was acquired by UK developer Olympian Homes, identifying it as an ideal location for a Build to Rent development…. residential offer that is beginning to emerge in Belfast.

The practice explored a number of differing plan configurations and massing arrangements in the design development process, working in close collaboration with the city’s planning department.

The final scheme is arranged in an ‘E’ shaped footprint, with a seven / eight storey frontage to Ormeau Road, stepping down to four storeys, where the scheme overlooks existing residential properties to the rear.

The 300 unit development is also broken down into identifiable elements, with carefully articulated brick bays providing a vertical emphasis and the architecture observing the basic principles of good urban design, in incorporating an identifiable two storey base, middle section and set-back penthouse levels.