Even before it officially opened in June, the redevelopment of Belfast’s historic Templemore Baths had already garnered significant industry recognition, with further accolades a distinct possibility. One firm that has been integral to the project’s success is Architect and Design Lead, McAdam Design, and Construction Industry News recently caught up with Rory Rankin, an Architect at the company, to see how it was achieved.
“We were involved in the development from the very start back in 2017,” explains Rory, who was project lead and played a key role in the design process. “We helped the client form their brief, with work beginning onsite in October 2021.”
Although the Templemore development involved many unique aspects, as a company with over 60 years of operation under its belt, McAdam Design had plenty of experience to draw on, particularly as it has completed several other leisure centres for Belfast City Council in recent years.
“We were able to bring these lessons to the Templemore project and this insight was useful in many ways,” adds Rory. “However, we were also conscious that it was very much a step above what we’d tackled before. It involved a much higher degree of fit-out and, as a listed building, it was vital we respected the existing building and maximised its potential.
“Much of the original design centred on the constraints associated with the building’s Grade B+ listed status, as well as how we could provide the mix of facilities the Council were looking for into what was quite a constrained site. The first objective, therefore, was to decide with the Council which facilities would be going into the centre. These included a 25m swimming pool, gym, spectator seating area, and changing village. At the same time, there was a desire to accentuate the wonderful features of the listed building, as the goal was to not only create a leisure facility that could serve the community, but also develop a heritage site where visitors could experience the building outside of the gym or pool facilities.
“There were a number of elements we were able to reuse, such as the previous swimming pool, while we were able to accommodate a range of the more modern features in the new extension, as they weren’t necessarily compatible with the old building. For example, the new 25m swimming pool was too long for the existing structure.”
Throughout the development, McAdam Design was careful to not only respect the integrity of the existing building, working closely with partner architects Consarc Design Group throughout the process, but also the surrounding area.
“We call it ‘touching the building lightly’, so there’s legible links between new and old. We wanted to achieve a modern feel without losing the original aspects, such as the brickwork and the arches, because they’re so attractive and make it such a special place. We complemented the existing building through materiality by incorporating handmade bricks and copper effect panels.
“It was an exciting project to be involved in, particularly as the baths mean so much to the local area and have such a strong history behind them. In the past, a local community group came together to save the building from closure, so it’s great that we’ve been able to help give it a new lease of life, particularly as it’s the only functioning Victorian baths in Ireland and possibly Britain too.”
As would be expected from such a complex and involving project, there were several hurdles and Rory attributes the fact they were overcome to the teamwork and cooperation in evidence throughout the development. “Credit must go to everyone involved, from Belfast City Council as the client, through to Heron Brothers as the main contractor, and all the other involved parties. We all worked well with each other and tried to find solutions. This level of collaboration was key so it’s fantastic that the development has attracted industry recognition in the shape of the award nominations.”
Having chalked up such a lauded project, McAdam Design is in no mood to rest on its laurels and is utilising its skills set in a wide range of different sectors. “While we’ve worked on several leisure centres now, we also continue to turn our hand at other projects, particularly within the likes of education, as well as other public sector buildings. We’re involved in the development of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre for Queen’s University in Belfast, which is another interesting project. We’ve got a great team here with fantastic expertise, which we’re going to use to keep pushing forward.”
With a reputation that has been carefully honed for over 60 years, McAdam Design can look forward to building further on its standing within the marketplace as it continues to take on other prestigious projects.