David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Queen's University, Belfast, BT7 1NN

David Keir Building, Queen's University Belfast

This is a three- and four-storey building with basement, constructed in red brick on a steel frame, designed by the London-based architects Lanchester & Lodge and erected between 1952 and 1958. It serves as a higher education institute building and was officially opened by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on 21 May 1959. The building is designed in an eclectic mix of Neo-Georgian and Expressionist styles, and is irregular in plan, consisting of adjoining linear blocks arranged around two external courtyards. It occupies a large section of streetscape at the northern end of the Malone and Stranmillis Roads, situated approximately 0.4 kilometres south of the Lanyon Building, Queen's University Belfast, and to the west of the Ulster Museum. The surrounding area consists of mixed 19th-century red-brick residential and commercial buildings, and the building sits within a small cluster of higher education buildings, including the Ashby Building on the adjacent site to the south and the School of Computer Sciences directly to the west. It has group value with other notable academic institutional buildings of the period, including the Whitla Hall and the Geology Building, both at Queen's University Belfast.

The building is named after Sir David Lindsay Keir, the former Vice Chancellor who originated the purchase of the site and the scheme for its development. It is a rare example of a large-scale 20th-century brick building with Expressionist features and constitutes a landmark within the Queen's University estate.

Layout and Plan

The linear building block to the east directly faces Stranmillis Road and contains the main entrance foyer. To the west is a smaller T-plan building block aligning Malone Road, connected to the main building, containing a secondary entrance foyer. To the north is a small fan-shaped building block accommodating lecture theatres. A narrow linear laboratory block traverses the courtyard, linking the east and west buildings. To the north of this is a small service courtyard, and to the south is a large landscaped courtyard.

Materials and Construction

The roof is flat, finished in bituminous or single-ply membrane. The walls are red brick with a steel frame. Original metal hoppers and downpipes survive to the rainwater goods. Most windows are now powder-coated aluminium double glazing (replacement), but original single-glazed metal-frame windows survive to the main foyer, the south block, the east block at the Hydraulics Laboratory, and where the rear wall abuts the new extension.

East (Front) Elevation — Stranmillis Road

The principal elevation is large and symmetrical, with a grand main entrance at its centre flanked on either side by long façades of repeating window bays. Walls are generally red brick in English garden wall bond.

The central entrance bay has a large masonry portico at ground level, flanked on each side by four-storey semi-circular stair towers. The portico is in ashlar masonry with a central round-headed arched opening, an over-sized keystone, and fixed wall lamps to either side. Behind the arch is a recessed porch with semi-circular side walls, also in ashlar masonry. The porch ceiling is painted plaster with a plain cornice and the floor is stone flag. Inside the arched opening is a pair of Art Deco-style cast iron gates. On the side wall of the porch, an inscription in raised lettering reads: "David Keir Building. This building was opened by H.R.H The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., On May 21st 1959."

Above the portico is a large tripartite vertical stair window with a masonry surround featuring stepped moulding to the edges; the windows are multi-paned, incorporating lattice glazing bars. Above this, a masonry clock is recessed into the brickwork beneath a masonry hood-mould, with copper dial numbers and hands. The stair towers have three strips of vertical glazing at each level and a carved stone coat of arms at the top. At roof level above the entrance bay is a squat two-staged square tower: the upper tier is in ashlar masonry with a copper pyramidal roof, five narrow windows in the centre, and recessed string courses, with an overhanging cornice detail at the eaves. The stair tower roofs are flat with a slim coping at eaves level, possibly masonry.

The façade to the left of the main entrance consists of three- and four-storey repeating window bays: a four-storey block of eight bays attached to a three-storey breakfront of seven bays. The three-storey block has a centrally located arched-headed entrance door with stained timber glazed double doors and fanlight, an over-sized masonry keystone, and a large hood-mould extending across three bays above. Ground-floor windows are generally arched-headed; upper levels are square-headed. Windows are generally multi-paned with margin panes (replacement aluminium) and masonry cills. The brickwork surrounds to first- and second-floor windows are slightly recessed in each bay, with soldier course headers. The fourth-floor windows on the first block are diminishing, with a masonry course at cill and head level. There is a continuous masonry string course at first-floor level and a plain slim masonry coping at roof levels with decorative brick panelling beneath. A modern copper-clad extension has been added to the four-storey block at roof level. The façade to the right of the main entrance is generally a mirror image of the left, except that the three-storey block here has three centrally located entrance doors rather than one, and there is no modern extension at roof level. There are no visible downpipes or gutters on this elevation.

West (Rear) Elevation — Malone Road

This elevation presents a large T-plan block, five to seven storeys above ground, connected to the main courtyard building. The main façade faces Malone Road. It is five storeys with a piano nobile-effect entrance portico in the centre, accessed via a raised masonry entrance podium with steps on either side. The ground level is ashlar masonry and the upper levels are brick. The entrance portico projects forward over three bays and has three arched-headed openings with keystones, a plat band above, and a plain parapet with coping. Each opening has stained timber glazed door screens similar to those on the east elevation. Two flights of entrance steps in the podium rise to a gallery area in front of the entrance, with ashlar masonry walling and intermediate bands of plainly detailed cast iron railings. Narrow vertical recesses in the walling of the entrance plinth at street level may be windows now covered over. The main façade is eleven bays, with fenestration detailed as on the east elevation. Ground-floor window openings are rectangular and square-headed with multi-paned windows and modern metal grilles. The side elevations of the front section of the T-plan building are three bays with similar fenestration to the main façade; the right-hand side façade has a projecting bay at ground and first floor level. The rear façade of this front section is three bays on the left and four bays on the right, with a plainly detailed four-storey brick staircore on the right corner. The perpendicular section of the T-plan building is generally six storeys and nine bays on each side, with fenestration similar in detail to the adjacent façades and a staircore at the intersection.

Where the T-plan building connects to the main buildings, there is a three- to five-storey façade to the left and a five- to six-storey façade to the right. The left-hand side façade has a breakfront of seven bays, three storeys high, with a modern penthouse extension at roof level. To the right of the breakfront is a four- to five-storey section of nine bays. Windows, roofs, and walling are generally detailed as on the east elevation. Vertical runs of large exposed metal circular ducts are attached to this façade. Red-brick walling with concrete coping at ground level encloses a yard area, with metal fencing erected on top of the brick wall (a later addition). The right-hand side façade is seven storeys and eight bays, similar in detail to the left-hand side, with a stairwell in the last bay.

North Elevation

This is two storeys above ground with a fan-shaped protruding bay centrally located, and three-storey façades on each side. There is a quadrant-shaped external lightwell to the basement on the left-hand side of the bay. The protruding bay has a two-storey breakfront flanked on each side by single-storey wings. There is a large masonry plinth on the bay and three doorways at ground level — one in the centre of the breakfront and one in each side wing. Doorways are deeply recessed with masonry surrounds featuring stepped moulding, two masonry steps, and stained timber glazed double doors. A modern glass extension with a metal balconette and overhanging flat roof has been added at first-floor level on the breakfront. There is a single large square-headed window on each side of the breakfront. The sides of the protruding bay are three bays with square-headed windows at each level. The three-storey façades flanking the bay are generally four bays, with fenestration similar to the east elevation, and the fourth bay is recessed at both corners. There are exposed metal downpipes with decorative hoppers.

South Elevation

This elevation is cranked in profile and has three projecting bays in red brick: a two-storey bay, a four-storey bay, and a stepped one- to two-storey bay. The main spine of the façade is generally four storeys with alternate bands of red brick and render. The detailing to the upper two floors is later, possibly dating from 1958; windows here are painted metal single-glazed with a pivoting central window. Window openings in the lower levels are square-headed and generally multi-paned, similar to the other elevations. Some openings extend over two floors and have obscured glazed panels at floor levels. There are exposed painted metal downpipes and hoppers.

Courtyard Elevations

The east elevation of the courtyard is similar to the main east elevation. On the left-hand side there is a contemporary two-storey extension clad in Corten steel. The central entrance bay is detailed similarly to the main east elevation, with square-profile bays flanking the entrance. The entrance portico has a square-headed recessed archway flanked by octagonal turrets. The archway is splayed inwards towards the door and has an Art Deco engraved surround, with masonry steps in front.

The west courtyard elevation is six storeys with fenestration similar to the other main elevations. There is a centrally located entrance portico and stairwell window similar in detail to the east elevation.

The north courtyard elevation is four storeys with similar fenestration to the other main elevations. There is an entrance to a stairwell in the centre with a two-storey-high stairwell window above, featuring a masonry surround with stepped moulding and a multi-paned window. It is otherwise plainly detailed.

The south courtyard elevation is cranked in profile and four storeys, with most of the façade projecting at third- and fourth-floor level, supported on two-storey-high slender square columns finished in a fine dash render, forming a cloister effect in the courtyard. The projecting upper floors combine rectangular brick panels with fine dash render. Fenestration is as on the other south elevation.

Entrance Screen and Setting

A decorative Art Deco-style masonry entrance screen is located at the Stranmillis Road main entrance, with curved low walling and lamp standards. There is an entrance podium with steps at the secondary entrance on Malone Road. The area around the building is generally tarmacked. The external courtyard is landscaped with lawned areas and trees, with pathways traversing the courtyard at the stairwells; the paths have concrete paviors with a coloured pebble cobble finish to the edges. The Eglantine Inn public house is situated close to the Malone Road elevation to the west, with a laneway to its right giving access to the south elevation. Some original brick plant buildings survive to the rear of the adjacent pub. A laneway to the left of the recently constructed QUB Computer Science Building gives access to the north elevation.

Interior

The building retains most of its internal character, including some original metal windows, original internal joinery and finishes, and original lecture and laboratory room fittings. The grandiose entrance block, featuring twin semi-circular stair towers, is of particular note.

Historical Background

The inter-war period saw Queen's University expand its campus beyond the original 1840s college building, with the construction of the Faculty of Agriculture in Elmwood Avenue in 1926–28 and the commencement of the Whitla Hall in 1939. The post-war opening up of further education accelerated this expansion. The Whitla Hall, postponed during the war, was completed in 1949, and in the same year work on new Geology premises in Elmwood began, completing in 1954.

By this date the University had acquired a large area of land between the Malone and Stranmillis Roads and, in conjunction with Belfast Corporation, had begun construction of what was to become its largest building project to date — new premises for the Faculty of Applied Sciences. The scheme was first proposed shortly after the war, when a university report recommended that the "old sandpit" — long used as a source of fine sand for metal moulding — behind Chlorine House (a villa of around the 1860s sited roughly to the north end of the present complex) be used as the site for departments of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, with space reserved for possible future departments of aeronautical engineering and architecture. It was also recommended that the project serve higher technological education in Northern Ireland as a whole, and as a result the Joint Authority for Higher Technological Studies, a combined venture between Queen's and Belfast Corporation, was formed. This body put forward a concept design — markedly different from what was ultimately built, its angular layout somewhat reminiscent of a medieval fortress — and the ground was acquired, but the project lost momentum.

It was revived in 1950, when it was decided that Civil Engineering and Chemistry should also be accommodated. Additional land in the vicinity was purchased and the London-based architects Lanchester & Lodge were engaged to prepare the final plans. Their new design had much in common with the firm's earlier academic work, in particular at West Herts College, where similar curved bays flanking the entrance appear. Oscar Faber & Partners were engaged as consulting engineers and F.B. McKee & Co. of Shore Road, Belfast, became the main contractor. Work finally commenced in March 1952, but the Malone Road section housing the Chemistry block was deferred to avoid disturbing Chlorine House during the lifetime of its owner, Colonel Crawford. His death in early 1954 allowed this section to proceed.

Later in 1954, major alterations to the scheme were brought about by the decision to accommodate the departments of Botany and Zoology within the Chemistry section. In 1956, thanks largely to additional funding from Short Bros. & Harland, a chair of Aeronautical Engineering was established and an extension was added to the Stranmillis-facing Civil Engineering block in consequence. The complex was completed in stages in 1957–58, with the Civil Engineering department occupied in July 1957 and Chemistry, Botany and Zoology in place by the end of 1958.

A four-page report in the Belfast News-Letter on the opening described the building as a combination of "space and symmetry", having been "built close to the boundaries of the site so as to give maximum accommodation and at the same time provide a spacious and sheltered quadrangle." The report noted that, because of the sandpit, there is in addition a lower ground floor and, over the southern portion, a basement floor. The Civil Engineering department faces Stranmillis Road and also occupies, with Aeronautical Engineering, the low block to the south of the quadrangle. Chemistry extends from the north entrance on Stranmillis Road around the north and west sides of the quadrangle. The northern end of the axis of symmetry culminates in a lecture theatre seating 450. The top floor of the transverse block to the north of the quadrangle forms an extension to Queen's Library. Adjacent to this on the Stranmillis side, a common room for students and a cafeteria were provided. Zoology and Botany occupy the T-block facing Malone Road, Zoology below and Botany above. The building contains 600 rooms and one mile of corridor, the lifts travelling over 200 miles a month. The cost of the building was under £2,000,000, though the total cost including equipment exceeded this figure.

To complete the project, Queen's had hoped to secure the mainly late Victorian properties at the junction of Malone and Stranmillis Roads to create a clear space at the north end of the new building and open a vista into University Road. The owners were unwilling to sell at the prices being offered, and the entrance to this end has remained out of sight ever since.

Alterations

Externally the building retained its original form until recent years, when a major decade-long refurbishment scheme commenced in 2003. New rooftop extensions were added to the Stranmillis Road wing and a block was added to the north-eastern corner of the quadrangle. Most of the original window frames have also been replaced.