89 Durham Street, Belfast, BT12 4GD

Completed in 2019 this scheme provides 23 modern, high quality homes for families in an area of Belfast with a high social housing need, including 12 apartments, 10 houses and one bungalow.

The scheme involved the restoration of an important listed building, bringing it back to its former glory and saving a building which was under threat from demolition.

Originally designed by Young & Mackenzie Architects, famous for other iconic Belfast City Centre buildings such as Scottish Provident Building, and the old Robinson & Cleaver department store, the building is well known as the former home of the Blood Transfusion Service.

It originally housed the NI Tuberculosis Authority from 1918 to 1960. The building had been unoccupied since 1995 and consequently fallen into disrepair.

Clanmil acquired the building in August 2014 and set about working with the local community to design a scheme that celebrating the old building and met the needs of the community. 

The key design move was to separate the new extension and the retained listed building and create a new atrium space between the two buildings, providing a connection between both and providing a new light filled ‘heart’ of the building.

Durham Street was designed by Rolston Architects and delivered by Geda Construction at a total scheme cost of £2,800,000.