Belfast Stories is made up of three parts. Firstly, the House of Stories, designed as a destination with public and paid-for exhibitions, offering spaces of various scales to tell the complex and fascinating narrative of the city.

The Yard, a public space at the heart of the site, would introduce new routes, places to pause, and importantly, shelter from the Belfast rain. 

The listed Bank of Ireland Building would be refurbished into a food hall and destination restaurant, featuring a tropically planted wintergarden that echoes the form of the House of Stories. 

The existing terraced houses were proposed to be retained as a skills and administrative space. They would be reclad to improve their performance, adding to the city’s tradition of ‘white buildings’. The northernmost building was to be demolished to reveal the formal south facade of the City Library. 

Capturing the essence of Belfast, our design aimed to make it accessible to all at all levels, bringing a greater sense of connection and belonging to the city.

The tiled roof that shelters Belfast Stories was to be made of glazed ceramic depicting the city plan and docks. The tall roofline would add a new skyline to the city, marking its civic and community importance. 

Elements of the building were designed to embrace the circular economy, utilizing recycled materials from demolished buildings on the southwest corner of the site and salvaged from the wider city.

“Belfast City Council (BCC) held a design competition to appoint an integrated design team for Belfast Stories, that concluded in October 2023. As part of the assessment process, shortlisted teams were asked to submit some illustrative designs proposals. These proposals were examples only and were not indicative of the final Belfast Stories design. It is anticipated that BCC will have developed designs for public consultation before the end of 2024.”