Central Building adjacent to Stranmillis House, Stranmillis College, Belfast, BT9 5DY

The Central Building at Stranmillis College, Belfast, is a large Modernist university teaching block constructed between 1968 and 1970 to designs by H.H. Wightman, Chief Architect to the Northern Ireland Government's Ministry of Finance. Built at a total cost of £750,000, it was conceived as the college's main new teaching facility, housing the Departments of English, History, Geography, Mathematics and Science, together with the college library, a drama theatre, and a music department. It occupies a commanding position at the top of the hill leading from the main listed entrance gates on Stranmillis Road, on a site previously occupied by the so-called 'bungalow hostels' — a collection of linked single-storey blocks built in 1924 as temporary accommodation for female students, which remained in use for over forty years until they were superseded by new halls of residence to the west in 1966.

The building is listed as five distinct but interconnected elements: the central courtyard structure, the entrance block, the lecture theatre block, the theatre block, and the music department.

CENTRAL COURTYARD STRUCTURE

The heart of the complex is a mainly three-storey concrete-framed building, rectangular in plan, arranged around a central courtyard. The north-west and south-east sides are raised on painted concrete columns with depressed pointed arched openings that give access to the courtyard below — a classic use of pilotti to free the basement floor and allow movement through the building. These elevations have regular paving with exposed aggregate precast concrete panels between the columns, echoing their rhythm. On the remaining two sides, the basement level is in-filled, using either mass concrete or, in some areas, clay brick with steel windows. Approximately half of the open north-east side is used for car parking, and the underside of the floor above is finished with undulating stained timber slats whose profile matches that of the external arches.

The overall impression is of monolithic construction: the exposed columns give a strong vertical emphasis to the shorter sides, while the precast concrete panels provide a horizontal emphasis to the longer sides. On the south-west side, an additional floor set back from those below contains the fully glazed upper floor of the library. The external columns on this outer façade rise independently and return to clasp the library roof.

The courtyard itself has been designed as an integral part of the scheme. It is planted with mature trees and shrubs and features raised beds formed by bush-hammered ribbed concrete walls — a treatment used elsewhere on the building — and concrete paths laid in a chevron pattern.

ENTRANCE BLOCK

Situated at the south-west corner of the courtyard structure, this three- and four-storey block is clad in buff clay brick, providing a deliberate contrast with the darker panels of the courtyard block. The three-storey section is rectangular in plan with continuous horizontal window bands at each level, giving a layered, stratified appearance; smooth painted concrete panels connect the windows across each floor. The four-storey section, which houses the main staircase, has large L-shaped windows with metal sills. A free-standing chimney, taller than the surrounding building and constructed in the same brick and concrete materials, stands on the south-west side.

In the early 21st century the main entrance was altered by the addition of a single-storey section finished externally with timber cladding and aluminium fins, designed to appear to float over circular supports. This alteration is considered to enhance rather than detract from the original design.

LECTURE THEATRE BLOCK

This four-storey block, containing one lecture theatre on each floor, is connected to the courtyard structure at the north-east corner by a steel curtain walling link section. It is slightly smaller in plan than the entrance block but is designed in the same materials and with similar detailing. Three of its four sides have no windows; the fourth, facing south-west, has a projecting block containing a projection room for each lecture theatre and a single window on each side. Each storey is delineated by a recessed concrete strip at floor level.

THEATRE BLOCK

The largest of the three corner blocks, the theatre block occupies the south-east corner of the site on a steeply sloping part of the grounds. It is largely a single brick box containing the theatre itself, intersecting with smaller rectangular boxes that house the ancillary accommodation. Openings are few, and where they occur they take the form of rectangular steel windows. A free-standing cantilevered staircase is located on the south-east side. The theatre block is connected to the courtyard structure by a two-storey link that is brick-clad at basement level and fully glazed at ground floor level.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

The music department occupies a two-storey circular building linked to the north-east side of the courtyard structure by a fully glazed link. The upper floor, which sits at the same level as the courtyard building's basement, has alternating panels of predominantly steel windows and tall precast concrete panels with exposed rounded red pebbles — a finish that contrasts deliberately with the darker stone panels used elsewhere on the main courtyard structure. The lower basement level is recessed by approximately two metres and features two contrasting wall treatments: the lower half consists of in-situ concrete vertical ribs that have been bush-hammered to expose the aggregate, while the upper half is smooth painted in-situ concrete with regular horizontal steel windows that admit light into the practice rooms below. This bush-hammered concrete plinth physically and visually connects the music department to the courtyard building, continuing around to the lecture theatre block. The circular building is clad in mauve-coloured precast panels, distinguishing it from the rest of the complex.

MATERIALS AND WINDOWS

The main structure is built with an exposed painted concrete frame and exposed aggregate precast concrete panels. The corner blocks are clad in buff-coloured clay brick. Windows throughout are original single-glazed steel frames. The roof is flat, with a replacement membrane.

INTERIOR

The internal layout is almost entirely intact, with only minor changes at the entrance that do not detract from the original design. Notable interior features include spiral staircases in the library, the third-floor plant room, and the complete interior of the music department. Interesting detailing is also retained in the lecture theatres.

SETTING AND CONTEXT

The Central Building stands at the centre of an extensive parkland setting surrounded by mature trees and steeply sloping grassed slopes intersected by pedestrian paths. It shares the campus with numerous other university buildings, many of which are separately listed: Stranmillis House; the original college building constructed around 1928 at the entrance; the Henry Garret Building; two gate lodges; and several other large later 20th-century teaching and accommodation buildings. The site lies within a conservation area and the building is also recorded as a monument.