Wienerberger stars in Belfast for Queen’s University building

26 Apr 2018

Belfast’s Queen’s University has recently undergone a transformation of the northern portion of its historic main campus, with the external facade of the building featuring Wienerberger’s Lincoln Red clay brick.

One of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious universities, it has received a product in Lincoln Red that provides a visually impressive finish, whilst also bringing the natural durability, efficiency, and longevity of clay to the fore.

Brick was a vital element in the façade design and this product needed to synergise the new structure with the University’s historic surroundings, in particular the Quad, where brick is the main building material.

The architectural work has been so well received that the venture recently won a Brick Development Award for Best Refurbishment Project.

TODD Architects had the task to redevelop the iconic campus in the summer of 2014; this included the partial demolition, restructuring, refacing and extension, alongside refurbishment and linkage of a 1960s multi-storey library stack and teaching centre into a new home for the University’s highly respected School of Law, a Faculty hub facility, and a series of centrally bookable lecture theatres and teaching spaces.

Choosing the correct brick posed a considerable challenge for the architects, who found out that five different brick types had been used in buildings surrounding the Quad.

Selecting a modern product to fit in with such historic variety was essential; after testing a number of samples, the Wienerberger brick was chosen where the aesthetic was extended through to the interior of the student hub, with vertical panels offering colour and textural contrast with white plastered walls.

Richard Brown, Category Marketing Manager – Wall at Wienerberger, said that being involved with this project was both ‘exciting and fulfilling’ for thr Wall team.

“Queen’s University is such an icon in British culture and the striking buildings are part of the institution’s charm so for TODD Architects to select our product to continue that identifiable aesthetic it is a real honour and even better that the work and the product has been recognised by the board of the Brick Development Awards,” he commented.