Arcadia Summer 2023

INSPIRING ARCHITECTURE FROM HAMILTON ARCHITECTS

SUMMER 2023

Erne Campus – setting the standard for energy efficient buildings everywhere

A half-year high note and more to come...

The practice has much to celebrate as we enter the second half of 2023. The first six months of the year ended on a high note as two major education projects, Erne Campus and the Verena Holmes Building, were honoured in separate ways.

Erne Campus of South West College won the overall People’s Choice Award in the highly prestigious UK Passivhaus Trust Awards 2023. The £34m campus, which has Passivhaus Premium status, generates four times more energy than it uses.

Judges said the building acts as a living educational tool for students, as well as demonstrating how the implementation of net zero energy building can help break down barriers to the roll-out of such technologies across the UK.

Erne Campus stood out from the pack as the world’s first educational - and currently the largest – Passive House Premium rated building, and the first UK building to achieve both PHP and BREEAM Outstanding accreditations.

It has also won UK Project of the Year in the RICS Awards 2022; RICS Public Sector Project of the Year 2022; and BREEAM Public Sector ProjectDesign Stage Award 2021.

Over at Canterbury Christ Church University, the £65m Verena Holmes Building was officially

opened by the Duchess of Edinburgh. It is one of the largest science, technology, engineering, health and medicine education facilities in south-east England and is sited next to a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The building provides students with an 18,000m2, four-storey facility with ultra-modern specialist areas including a bio-mechanics lab, simulated hospital wards, X ray suite and anatomy teaching lab inside a complex façade which describes a very direct relationship with its unique historical landscape.

Hamilton Architects is proud to be one of the largest, and most diverse, architectural practices on the island of Ireland. Educational projects play a huge role in our business, but so do projects in the Health, Conservation and Commercial sectors.

As we enter into the second half of 2023, the Partners and our growing team of architects, architectural technologists, designers, BIM specialists, and support staff look forward to sharing with you the completion of more standout projects from our portfolios.

The

Partners

World beating design leads the way in net-zero building technologies

The People’s Choice accolade in the Passivhaus Trust Awards UK 2023 has been given to Erne Campus of South West College, designed by Hamilton Architects.

The £34m project was the overall winner out of 10 finalist projects across three categories thanks to a massive vote of confidence from Passivhaus Trust members, sectoral professionals and members of the public.

The awards recognise buildings which meet the highest standards of energy efficiency, comfort and sustainability. Judges for this year’s competition said the scale and complexity of projects had increased since the previous awards competition in 2021.

“We look for exceptional Passivhaus projects with monitoring date to prove how they are combating the cost of living crisis for occupants, striving towards zero carbon climate targets, and demonstrating solutions across several building typologies,” they said.

“We were impressed by Erne Campus because it acts as a living educational tool for students, as well as a demonstration of how the implementation of a net zero energy building can help break down barriers to the roll-out of such technologies across the UK.”

Hamilton Architects’ Partner Paul Millar presented details of the exemplar Enniskillen project to PT members at a hybrid event in London, alongside the project’s M&E consultant, Cormac Freehill of Bennett Freehill.

Paul said: “We are delighted with the award, of course, but the event also offered a wonderful opportunity to engage with fellow professionals who are as passionate as we are about sustainability, and to learn more about some fantastic low energy projects.

“Erne Campus stood out from the pack as the world’s first educational - and

currently the largest – Passive House Premium rated building, and the first UK building to achieve both PHP and BREEAM Outstanding accreditations.

“It is recognised as one of 26 UN Centres of Excellence for High Performance Buildings around the globe and generates four times more energy than it uses, representing a 95% reduction in energy demand compared to the old campus complex.”

Mark Haslett, Partner-in-Charge of the project said: “Erne Campus is simply setting the bar for all public sector buildings at a time when international requirements to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint are becoming ever more stringent.

“Erne Campus is just one, albeit world-beating, example of the design work Hamilton Architects is doing in the field of energy efficiency and environmental performance. All such projects, big or small, make a tangible difference to the lives of their owners, their users and their community.”

Situated on a town centre site overlooking the River Erne, the iconic crescent-shaped, 8,000m2 building accommodates 800 full-time and 2,000 part-time students, together with associated infrastructure and landscaping. Erne Campus has also won UK Project of the Year in the RICS Awards 2022; RICS Public Sector Project 2022; and BREEAM Public Sector Project - Design Stage Award 2021.

Team credits go to: South West College and the Department for the Economy NI, Architect: Hamilton Architects, Project Management & Cost Management: esc Construction Consultants, Passivhaus and Certifier: MosArt / Passivhaus Academy Ireland, M&E: Bennett Freehill, C&S Engineer: Tetra Tech.

SWC Erne Campus

UK Passivhaus Awards 2023

People’s Choice Winner

Planning application reveals design for new Newry Civic & Regional Hub

A planning application has been lodged by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for a new Civic & Regional Hub designed by Hamilton Architects. The application follows the submission of a recent application for a new flagship Newry Theatre and Conference Centre, also designed by the practice.

Works for the Civic & Regional Hub, on a .77ha site on Abbey Way behind Newry Cathedral, would require the demolition of an existing multi-storey car park.

The development delivers accommodation for council and additional support staff, including workstations, personal and business storage, meeting rooms, IT hub, breakout space etc.

Proposed spaces include reception, interview/meeting, council chamber, open plan office and breakout areas.

The site lies adjacent to two of Newry’s most historically important structures - the Grade A listed Cathedral of St Patrick and

St Colman, which dates from 1825, and Bagenal’s Castle, a scheduled monument dating from 1480.

The design offers its own unique and contemporary character while respecting the Georgian architecture of Newry City Centre. A simple palette of materials includes granite stone cladding, dark grey clay bricks and aluminium framed curtain walling.

High quality granite materials define the ‘civic’ part of the building, with a dark grey brick to the council section matching nearby stone buildings. Green sedum roofs to Abbey Way buffer the building from the nearby carriageway and continue the soft landscaping and terracing into the public realm space.

Royal seal of approval for £65m CCCU STEHM facility

The Duchess of Edinburgh has formally opened the CCCU Verena Holmes building. The £65m project, one of the largest science, technology, engineering, health and medicine education facilities in south-east England, incorporates Kent and Medway Medical School.

During the visit, the Duchess toured the building, which provides students with an 18,000m2, four-storey facility with ultra-modern specialist areas including a bio-mechanics lab, simulated hospital wards, X-ray suite and anatomy teaching lab.

A complex façade featuring vertical brick piers describes a very direct relationship between the building and its unique historical landscape, with large glazed sections maximising views of UNESCO World Heritage sites St Augustine’s Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral. There was also an opportunity for the Duchess to see the special ‘Tree of Trees’ in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

Verena Holmes was a pioneering female mechanical engineer, reflecting the University’s ambition to increase diversity and widen opportunities in STEHM education and careers.

Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CCCU, said: “It is not just a facility for the University and the Kent

and Medway Medical School, but for the entire south-east region. “It provides state-of-the-art equipment and technology for our staff and students and also space for experimentation, research and collaboration with our partners in the health sector, sports and engineering industries, local businesses and the wider community.

“The professor went on to say that, ultimately, the project was not about buildings, but about people and the university’s commitment to social justice: “Ensuring that we increase the participation of women in engineering and STEM subjects; ensuring that anyone wishing to practice medicine has the opportunity to do so, regardless of background and experience.

“The building is an enabler for all of us to achieve wider societal objectives and I am really very proud of what we have achieved here collectively.”

€24m regional sports hub at Letterkenny secures funding support

Funding has been secured for a €24m sports campus for Letterkenny Regional Sports-Activity Hub. Hamilton Architects are leading the design team tasked with delivering the project for Atlantic Technological University (ATU).

The project aims to address a deficit in the area’s sporting infrastructure with the creation of a high quality, multi-pitch sports facility and community hub suitable for university students as well as local and regional sports teams.

A 42-acre site at Carnamoggagh Lower/Knocknamona will deliver 9 pitchesincluding full-size 3G artificial grass pitches for GAA and soccer and a non-turf cricket pitch – and a 1,000m2 dome with indoor sports facilities, training area and hurling/handball wall.

There would also be a 6-lane athletic sprint track, walking trail loop, informal cross-country route, children’s play park and landscaping to include a community and biodiversity gardens.

A pavilion building equipped with meeting, changing and catering facilities will support the use of the pitches and ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the complex.

ATU and Donegal Council, as lead applicant, were successful in obtaining funding under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund. Other applicants included Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Cricket Ireland.

The fund is provided by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and aims to further the National Development Plan and the National Sports Policy.

A wide range of local sports clubs, organisations, schools and industries will share the facilities. Donegal Ladies Gaelic Football Association, currently without a home ground, are interested in using the site as their training centre and youth academy.

The project also boosts the NW Cricket Union’s aim of increasing participation in their sport while catering for a growing multi-nationality population in the region.

Three schools - St Eunan’s College, Colaiste Ailigh and Little Angels Special School - with the last two within a few hundred metres of the site – are keen to use the facility in off-peak hours.

Hamilton Architects are one of the leading designers of education buildings in Ireland and the UK. Here are just some of the major and minor projects which are currently under delivery

Bird College

Roe Valley Primary School

Glenwood Primary School

Ulidia Integrated College

Mary Queen of Peace Primary School

St Killian’s College

St Malachy’s Primary School

NORTH COAST ODYSSEY

Hamilton Architects have left a profound footprint on the North Coast of Northern Ireland in recent years. We have worked to safeguard the environment, preserve historic features, provide new purpose for old buildings, and create new landmarks for the modern age. Here are just some of the highlights

Binevenagh and Coastal Lowlands Heritage Sites

Binevenagh and Coastal Lowlands Landscape Partnership appointed us to deliver Conservation Management Plans and concept designs to facilitate public engagment with heritage assets for five defence heritage sites. The areas contain defence heritage features (particularly Napoleonic, WWI and WWII) of local, national and international importance. The primary purpose of each plan, which included developed designs and cost estimates, was to ensure the heritage value of each asset was maintained or enhanced for the benefit of the local community.

1. Derry Visitors Centre

In 2020, we put the final touches to an exciting new £1m Visitors Centre for the Maiden City. The state-of-the-art centre at Waterloo Place was designed to service the needs of local and international visitors, and to act as an orientation hub in the heart of the city. We led the project team, which included an Interpretative Designer, to create an engaging immersive visitor experience which provides a gateway for the exploration of the whole North West of Ireland.

2. Walled City Lighting and Royal Bastion and Plinth

The Walled City is one of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s five key Signature Projects that align tourism investment in NI to developments that create international stand-out. The implementation of innovative, creative lighting solutions for this world-class project enhances the night-time visual appeal of the city’s key cultural, heritage and tourism assets with the aim of extending visitor dwell time throughout the year and boosting the evening economy. The Royal Bastion and Plinth is one of the city’s most historic monuments. We adapted it for educational purposes just in time for the 400-year Walled City anniversary. The Plinth offers unique views of the city, enhances public realm and improves access to some of Ireland's most iconic ramparts. Work included creation of a new access point, internal staircase, ornate railings and conservation to the historic fabric of the bastion walls.

Phase 2 is just completing at Northern Ireland’s first, groundbreaking Shared Education Campus, to provide a drama, media and sixth form centre in a new two-storey building at St Mary’s High School in the town. Phase I of Limavady SEC has already been completed at Limavady High School, providing STEM accommodation in a single-storey building. Both schools will share new buildings accommodating science, technology, drama and media classrooms, all accessible via a shared pedestrian entrance from Irish Green Street. The project is part of the NI Executive’s Together: Building a United Community strategy.

We are currently transforming a WWII bomber training dome at Artikelly, outside Limavady, into a unique multi-use community events space. Only six such domes survive in the UK, and this is the only example in Northern Ireland.

The domes simulated warfare conditions using sound effects and projecting imagery on to the curved interior surface, with trainees using a dummy gun unit to test their accuracy. The scheme is being rolled out under the Binevenagh and Coastal Lowlands Partnership Scheme with funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

A new €5m Creative Hub for Ent Grade B1 listed Bushmills Court space for designer-makers and community. Constructed in 1834 derelict since the Sixties. The ne additional 1,200sqm of space fo and retail, and a large multi-purp of the River Bush.

8. Our Lady of Fatima High School

Construction is just completing on the new £3.5m Our Lady of Fatima Primary School at Tamnaherin. The single-storey, six classroom school on a greenfield site will accommodate up to 175 pupils through the amalgamation of the existing Mullabuoy and Listress Primary Schools. We are leading the Integrated Consultant Team for the project, which includes a multipurpose hall, dining room, changing room, computer hub, administration offices and resource spaces.

3. Limavady Shared Education Campus

4. WWII Trainer Dome

5. Bushmills Courthouse

Derry/Londonderry (1&2)

Limavady (3&4)

Coleraine (9)

Tamnaherin (8)

terprise Causeway at the old house will deliver a vibrant engagement with the wider 4, the Courthouse had been ew design will provide an or 13 micro businesses, café pose space with views

6. Magherintemple Gate Lodge

Built in 1874, the gate lodge of Magherintemple House, the historic seat of the Casement family, had become derelict and was ‘at risk’ before being rescued by Irish Landmark Trust. Our transformation of existing rooms and yard walls into comfortable holiday accommodation gave the lodge a new and sustainable future. The project was funded through a combination of grants from Heritage Lottery Fund, NIEA and The Pilgrim Trust.

7. Port Moon Bothy

This project presented a tiny, but unique challenge: to refurbish a vernacular building to provide a unique overnight experience for visiting kayakers and canoeists in a remote and breathtaking part of the world-famous Causeway Coast at Dunseverick.

9. Coleraine Library

In 2020, we put the final touches to an exciting £1m repurposing of this unique, fanned brutalist Grade B1 listed building erected in 1969 to create a much-needed educational and community resource. Our design provided a new entrance lobby, three storey fully accessible extension, multi-use community meeting room, hi-tech study areas, exhibition space and dedicated Heritage Room. Today, the library is fully accessible and provides health-related materials from professional support partners and hosts a variety of talks and events.

Bushmills (5)

Magherintemple (6)

Portmoon (7)

Hamilton Architects sponsor Sculpture Award at 142 nd RUA Exhibition

Hamilton Architects are delighted to once again be sponsoring the annual exhibition of the Royal Ulster Academy. This year’s show –the 142nd – opens to the public at the Ulster Museum from 13th October until 1st January 2024.

The call for entry of new works promoted a number of categories including collage, installation, ceramics, jewellery, photography, video, textiles and mixed media, and was extended to artists across Ireland and the UK and beyond.

This year, the practice will be sponsoring the Sculpture category. In the 2022 exhibition, we sponsored the Video Awards, which was won by Belfast artist Molly Martin for her work ‘Misshapen States’.

Partner Paul Millar said: “We are looking forward to seeing what this year’s exhibition brings! The RUA do a fantastic job in encouraging young talent and we are particularly excited this year to be sponsoring the Sculpture category.”

Ruth Graham of the RUA said that the exhibition was an eagerly anticipated event in Northern Ireland’s cultural calendar.

She added: “It is thanks to sponsors like Hamilton Architects, who have been supporting us for many years, that we are able to continue to provide a unique platform for acclaimed artists and emerging talent to showcase their artwork.”

Congratulations to Jordan on his Part III success!

We are delighted to report that our talented staff team member Jordan Beattie has succeeded in gaining his RIBA Part III qualification to become a fullyfledged architect.

Jordan is already a familiar face around the practice, having won the Hamilton Architects Young Designer of the Year Award in 2017 and spending a year at the office as part of his prize.

He returned to the office as a full-time member of staff after completing his Masters in Architecture at Ulster University and has been involved in a number of high profile projects over the past several years.

Before that, having graduated top of his year with a BA (Hons) in Architecture, his talent was recognised in nominations for the President’s Silver Medal Award for both the RSUA and the RIBA.

Jordan says he has a particular interest in urban renovation - creating new life for old buildings and forgotten spaces in a cost-effective, sustainable way that creates value for their users and the wider community.

Misshapen States by Molly Martin, winner of the Video Award, sponsored by Hamilton Architects, at the 2022 RUA Annual Exhibition

Recognition for two of our most valued senior staff

The accomplishments of two of Hamilton Architects’ most skilled and valued members of the senior team, Peter Carr and Mark Priestley, have been further recognised by the practice.

Peter, who has been an invaluable asset since joining us in 1993, has stepped into the role of Senior Associate. Peter’s commitment to excellence has been unwavering and he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and a drive for achieving outstanding results.

In another significant career milestone, Mark Priestley has been made an Associate. Mark’s exceptional skills, strong attention to detail, and excellence in team leadership have made a significant contribution to our success as a business over the past several years. Please join us in congratulating Peter and Mark as we continue to prosper and grow together as a team!

Meet our newest Architectural Technologist Student

Mark McCarron has joined the practice from Ulster University to undertake his placement year, before returning to complete his BSc (Hons) in Architectural Technology and Management.

Mark won the 2022 the McCrea Leebody Science Award, given for academic achievement by Engineering and Built Environment, and has a passion for designing and constructing objects and sourcing engineering solutions.

He has a particular interest in the industrial side of the built environment and his goal is to produce designs which are both artistic and fit for purpose.

Faith brings her talents to the Hamilton Architects team

Faith Wilson has joined the Hamilton Architects team as an Administrative Assistant. Faith graduated with a Masters in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies from Ulster University.

She has experience in a variety of sectors, and brings a wide range of skills to the practice including a BA (Hons) in Photography with Video from UU, digital technology, and a number of foreign languages.

Her role will see her provide support to the Partners and staff team, as well as providing administration services, and organising and assisting in event planning and marketing activities.

Introducing...

QUB graduate Kevin McPeake

Kevin McPeake has joined the practice as a Project Architect. Kevin is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast with a PG Cert in Professional Practice and of the Ulster University with a Masters in Architecture.

Kevin has worked for several years in the architecture, planning and construction industries and is particularly skilled in hand drawing, modelling, and computerbased programmes. His experience includes spatial and technical design for projects in a range of areas including the residential, commercial/retail, healthcare, hospitality, agricultural and conservation sectors.

Masters of all they design!

Hamilton Architects are delighted to report that two of the team have recently graduated with Masters in Architecture degrees.

Mohammed Gholami graduated from Queen’s University Belfast and Jonathan Wasson graduated from Ulster University.

Both are now full-time members of the Hamilton Architects staff team as Part II Architectural Assistants, and we wish them every success as they continue their careers with us.