Fire Safety and Architecture – ARC Apartments case study and site visit

Proposed RIBA Curriculum Topic: Legal, regulatory and statutory compliance

RSUA invites you to join us for an in-depth case study of the ARC Apartments cladding remediation project in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter—one of Northern Ireland’s most significant building safety and façade replacement schemes. Bringing together the project team responsible for delivering the remediation, this event will provide valuable insight into the technical, regulatory and practical challenges of remediating existing residential buildings in the wake of evolving fire safety legislation.

For architects involved in the design, refurbishment or assessment of existing buildings, this is a unique opportunity to gain practical knowledge from a multidisciplinary team that has navigated every stage of a complex cladding remediation project.

The programme will include:

• An overview of the Building Safety Act and its future implementation in Northern Ireland from Joan McCoy of White Ink Architects
• The client’s point of view of the ARC Apartments project, covering the EWS1 process, fire risk appraisal, testing standards, funding and the journey from investigation to remediation from Titanic Quarter’s Chief Executive James Eyre
• The project’s design and delivery, including survey findings, façade replacement strategy, testing, procurement and the complexities of working within an occupied residential development from Stephen MisKelly of RMI Architects
• Practical lessons from construction, including façade system training, material selection, fire testing, quality assurance and digital delivery from Stephen McGuigan of Flynn

The event will conclude with a guided tour of the ARC Apartments, allowing attendees to see the remediation works up close and understand how the principles discussed throughout the presentations have been applied on site.

Speakers

Joan McCoy is a founding director of White Ink Architects, established in 2001 and which became Employee Owned in 2021. Her expertise spans both design for client teams and advice on design development, due diligence, risk and buildability for construction teams. Joan is a Past President of the RSUA, a former member of the Northern Ireland Building Regulatory Committee (NIBRAC), responsible for reviewing changes to the NI Building Regulations. More recently, Joan has represented RSUA on various Building Safety committees including the steering group for PAS 8671:2021 Framework for Competence of Principal Designers, the NI Building Safety Programme – Expert Panel. She is also an assessor for the RIBA Principal Designer accreditation and a co-presenter on the RIBA Principal Designer training programme. Joan is currently a member of RSUA Council, RIBA Council and on the Construction Professionals’ Council of Northern Ireland Board.

James Eyre is Chief Executive of Titanic Quarter. He first joined the Titanic Quarter team in August 2006 and has held a number of management and leadership roles within the organisation before being appointed as Chief Executive in January 2024.

James has led numerous developments including construction, occupation, retention or disposal projects across multiple sectors, notably residential, commercial, leisure, hospitality and education.James has intimate knowledge of the technical, commercial, planning and financial processes associated with major brownfield regeneration, as undertaken at Titanic Quarter. During this period, James has worked with a range of local operators and multinational occupiers including Citi, Amazon, Belfast Met, HBO and PRONI.

Stephen Miskelly is Director of RMI Architects. Stephen started at with the practice as a placement student straight out of University and has spent the last 20 years working on award winning designs across the UK, Ireland and United States. RMI’s work is spread across both public and private sectors and across a broad range of sectors from residential, commercial, education, energy, conservation and masterplanning. In 2005 RMI prepared the Framework Masterplan for Titanic Quarter with Turley Associates identifying the parameters for the initial developments on the ARC Apartments site and as a result, were commissioned to design an apartment complex and hotel with car parking and bar/restaurant units on the curved site formed by the Abercorn Basin.

Stephen McGuigan MSc MCIOB PMP is an experienced construction professional with over 20 years of success delivering major construction, infrastructure, and data centre projects across the UK, Ireland, Europe, and Australia. He is Contract Manager for the £15m Arc Apartments Cladding Remediation scheme and heads up the Flynn Fire Remediation division, specialising in project delivery, commercial management, stakeholder engagement, programme recovery, and operational improvement. A Chartered Member of the CIOB, PMP-qualified practitioner, and holder of an MSc in Construction Project Management from Queen’s University Belfast, Stephen is recognised for his strong leadership, commercial acumen, and ability to deliver high-profile projects safely, on programme, and within budget.          

Book your place here.