Vita CortX Ind., Dunmurry Industrial Estate, The Cutts, Creighton Road, BT17 9HU

An asymmetrical single-storey red-brick factory in the international modern style, built around 1960, located on the north side of The Cutts, Dunmurry Industrial Estate, opposite Charles Hurst Ltd. The building is square on plan with a flat roof and north-light roof arrangement at the centre. A single-storey north-light extension aligned north-south was added to the south-west around 1963. Two modern factory sheds of little architectural interest were added to the south-east side of the extension around 2000. An original red-brick flat-roof garage remains at the south-east.

The factory comprises two main factory units containing north-light roof arrangements with exposed metal truss roof structures supporting asbestos corrugated sheeting. Flat roofs are precast concrete slabs with bitumen-based roof coverings, parapet walling and precast concrete verges, with concealed gutters and cast aluminium gutters projecting from parapet walls. The north-light roof comprises red-brick walling at east and west with concrete coping, glazed north lights and asbestos corrugated sheets to the south.

The walling is stretcher-bonded red brick with a recessed stretcher-bonded brick plinth. Windows are original metal casements contained within painted rendered bands with flush splayed concrete sills; some original glazing remains.

The principal elevation faces north and comprises a single-storey range interrupted at the centre by a slightly higher entrance with a projection to the left. The projection and entrance are smooth rendered. The projection's north elevation contains 'CortX' signage, with large multi-paned metal casement windows on the left and right cheeks. The entrance comprises double-leaf fully glazed doors flanked by full-height glazed panels within a recessed opening with splayed walling containing brick detailing. The entrance can be closed by a roller shutter. A single-storey red-brick range at the right contains nine continuous windows; that to the left contains three windows divided by brick piers at the right and a circular window at the left. The north-light roof visible at the rear comprises a series of continuous vertically glazed panels abutted by a three-storey red-brick block at the left.

The east elevation comprises three single-storey projecting bays: that at the right is blank; those at the centre and left contain three continuous high-level top-hung metal casement windows each, with four windows and a door on their left and right cheeks; three large metal casement windows are present at the west of the principal block. Both recessed areas are now covered by modern flat-roof construction comprising timber joists, corrugated metal roofing and replacement rainwater goods.

The south elevation is abutted by a single-storey red-brick range at the right containing replacement metal doors to the south. The right cheek contains a central louvered double-leaf timber door accessed by a single concrete step, flanked by a single window at the left and right; that at the left is diminished and boarded. The original north-light roofed section has an asbestos sheeted roof and metal-clad walling, abutted at the left by a north-south aligned single-storey extension comprising a series of eight north lights.

The west elevation comprises the principal block at the left containing, from left, two windows, a red-brick gate pier, a double-leaf entrance door with a roller shutter, and six windows, that at the left comprising replacement glazing and a replacement timber entrance door. To the left is a series of eight north-light bays each containing three high-level single-pane metal casement windows. The fifth and sixth bays from the north contain replacement double-leaf timber entrance doors.

The original square-on-plan garage remains largely intact at the south-east corner of the site, now used for storage. It is detailed with two windows at the south and west and a roller shutter at the north.

The factory is set back from the road with a large tree-lined parking area to the front. The yard to the south is accessed at east and west; the west access is permanently closed. The east access remains in everyday use and comprises modern steel gates supported on a red-brick pier. The site is heavily encroached by modern factory buildings to either side, although it remains prominent due to its scale.

The factory was built as part of Government-sponsored industrial development in the newly designated Dunmurry Industrial Estate between 1945 and 1964, when nine new enterprises were attracted to Northern Ireland. The building first appears on Ordnance Survey maps in 1963, depicted as a square structure surrounded by larger buildings. The factory continues to be used for manufacturing and is currently occupied by Vita CortX, which manufactures polyurethane and polyester expanded cushion foam. A new warehouse, one of the two additional factory buildings adjoining the south-west extension, was added in 2000 to support the company's furniture division expansion.