‘Architecture 2025: Reuse and Revitalise’ inspires action on building reuse

07/04/2025

If you missed the day, and would like to catch up, a recording of the sessions is available to purchase here.

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) hosted a successful Conference, ‘Architecture 2025: Reuse and Revitalise’, which focused on addressing the pressing challenges surrounding reuse in the built environment. The event was held in Riddel Hall, a prime example of building reuse, on Friday 4 April.

The event brought together architects, industry experts, and professionals passionate about revitalising our existing building stock. Discussions were set against the backdrop of emerging policies in Northern Ireland such as the Department for the Economy’s Energy Strategy and the Draft Circular Economy Strategy emphasising the importance of protecting and enhancing existing structures.

The conference proved to be a thought-provoking event, providing attendees with valuable insights and solutions to building reuse. 

A diverse lineup of expert speakers from the UK and Ireland explored the opportunities and challenges associated with existing buildings and shared insights into policies, approaches, and techniques driving impactful reuse projects. The lineup of knowledgeable speakers and panelists who shared their expertise and experiences included:

• Claire Hanna – MP for Belfast South
• Glenn Patterson – Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre
• Hilary McGrady – Director-General at the National Trust
• Pete Boyle – Business owner and Developer at Argento
• Sara Lynch – Head of Sustainability, Estates Directorate, Queen’s University Belfast
• John Walker – Former Director of Planning at Westminster City Council
• Valerie Mulvin – Director at McCullough Mulvin Architects
• Phil Prentice – Founding Chief Officer at Scotland’s Towns Partnership
• Arthur Parke – Design Director at Like Architects
• Rosie Webb – Head of Decarbonisation, Dublin Technological University
• Jonathan Macauley – Joint Managing Director at Design ID

Claire Hanna, MP for Belfast South kicked things off by underscoring the importance of breathing new life into old buildings. The scene was set by Glenn Patterson, Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre who spoke about every building being multi-storied, and in the spirit of the conference theme, RSUA President John Lavery ‘reused’ and ‘revitalised’ some words from a previous address.

In the first session of the day, attendees heard about reusing existing structures to bring the built environment and nature together from Director General of the National Trust, Hilary McGrady. Pete Boyle, Developer and Argento CEO, shared how the tenants of heritage buildings play their part in restoring the. In the first session’s last talk, Sara Lynch, Head of Sustainability in the Queen’s University Estates Directorate walked attendees through how Queen’s match the modern demands of University students with an aging estate. To read Clare McCarty’s full write-up of the session, click here.

Following the morning break, John Walker shared examples of reuse from his time as Director of Planning at Westminster City Council, including those that showed how much can be achieved with small interventions. Valerie Mulvin, Director at McCullough Mulvin Architects then took attendees through the journey of the Irish town, presenting her research on reanimating the heart of historic small towns. Attendees then heard from Phil Prentice who, in his role as Chief Executive of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, led a team of ‘disruptors’ – taking on the challenge and responsibility of transforming Scotland’s towns. To read Natalie O’Rourke’s full write-up of this session, click here.

In the third and final session of the day, attendees were inspired by case studies of reuse and revitalisation. Starting with The Keep, McConnell’s Distillery and Queensway Store in Crawley, Like Architect’s Design Director Arthur Parke took us through the practice’s innovative reuse projects. Rosie Webb, Head of Decarbonisation at TU Dublin recounted her experience working on a project to create a positive energy district in Limerick. And finally, attendees were presented the learnings from transforming a motorcycle showroom in Holywood into a creative and social workspace hub by Design ID’s Jonathan Macauley. To read Dominic Morris’ full write-up of this session, click here.

Many thanks to our sponsors Keystone Lintels and Kingscourt Brick for playing a key role in making this event happen as well as to the following members of the RSUA Conference Sub-Committee for their involvement; Ciaran Mackel, Caroline Maguire, Brian McKervey, Shane O’Toole, Alan Ritchie, Nathan Campbell, Chris Campbell, Alan Jones, Ben Aston, Fiona Brazill and Colin McCrossan.

The event was a fantastic opportunity to inspire increased reuse, discuss the ‘how to’, and foster connections to facilitate action.