James Connolly Visitor Centre

Winner of the prestigious Liam McCormick Building of the Year award, 2022.

Áras Uí Chonghaile/James Connolly Visitor Centre, on the Falls Road Belfast, is an exemplary re-use of an existing building into a crafted, characterful addition to the local community.

The centre aims to deliver the legacy of James Connolly in the West Belfast site, a few hundred yards from where he once lived. The complex project brief entailed the adaptation and extension of a Victorian twin end-terrace building that had fallen into disrepair.

The design team worked with the existing structure and accommodated its nuances. Internal wall finishes and concrete in-situ slabs were left exposed, allowing funds to be diverted to elements of the building including a bespoke perforated corten steel clad extension, voided and extruded brick skin and stairwell detailing. The intricate perforation of the corten steel reveals the image of Connolly’s face. The use of the gable wall for murals is a common sight in Belfast and this continues that tradition in a creative and subtle way. Connolly’s face has been returned to the Fall’s Road permanently on a large scale without dominating the area. The steel itself references the maritime and industrial heritage of Belfast where Connolly’s campaigning helped to improve the labour conditions of exploited workers.

Internally, McGurk Architects have provided a varied and enriched learning experience over four exhibition spaces, a bilingual museum, library, café, and a conferencing facility. The focal exhibition space is skilfully and naturally illuminated by a stepped section, voided brickwork and dappled south light from the perforated corten screen.

Áras Uí Chonghaile is a key tourism attraction on the Heritage Trail, bringing national and international visitors to the Fall’s Road year round, giving the local economy a much needed boost.

The project was completed within a challenging six months on a lean £760k budget.