Murray's Exchange Offices, Belfast
Civic Trust Awards (2012)
As Phase 1 of a multi-phase master-plan for the site, White Ink Architects (working with conservation experts Alastair Coey Architects) were appointed to restore and extend the original Whitehall Tobacco Works for commercial office use. This Grade B+ listed “Free Style” building, which dates from 1900, is one of only a small number of surviving buildings from this era in the city.
Providing an additional 1600 sqm of lettable office space, the curved form of the new extension wraps around the listed building with alternating crisp white rendered panels and recessed glazing. Whilst the scale of the original building is respected, the stark contrast between the decorative old building and clean lines of the new is intentional and underpins the concept of the development.
Photography by Donal McCann and White Ink Architects