On Friday 17 October, the former Good Shepherd Convent on Belfast’s Ormeau Road was reanimated for Architecture Night 2025.
The Royal Society of Ulster Architect’s (RSUA) annual event is all about shining a light on buildings that are not currently in use. Every year, a new venue is chosen for its architectural interest or its link to an issue affecting the built environment sector in Northern Ireland. This year’s event saw a new purpose for the Former Good Shepherd Convent, as some 300 guests gathered in the B1 listed building, designed by Dublin architect William Henry Byrne. The building was purchased by Choice Housing Association in 2019 and is currently on the market for just over £2 million.
In its first iteration in 2016, Architecture Night took over the then recently closed Belfast Telegraph Print Works, which has now been repurposed as a live entertainment venue. In 2023, Architecture Night reawakened the iconic King’s Hall for a night of celebration and live music, reminiscent of its glory days. 2024’s event focused on the future of Belfast’s office building stock from the 9th floor of the newly opened Ewart building.
Architecture Night 2025, led by long-standing host Mark Simpson, recognised the importance of non-architects to architecture through the announcement of two new Honorary Members and celebrated the new generation of architectural talent represented by both students and architects at the early stage of their careers.
Ciarán Fox, Director of The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) commented, “There’s something lovely about gathering in a space that was built for reflection and filling it with conversation and new ideas for a night, especially after it’s been sitting empty for years. It’s been great to see a renewed interest in our existing building stock, with so many great examples of reuse projects bringing new life to historic buildings. It’s vital that government continues to support this momentum for a sustainable future.”
Honorary Members
Managing Director of JP Corry, Ciaran McConnell was the first of two new Honorary Members to be announced.
Ciarán Fox said, “To say Ciaran McConnell is a supporter of RSUA is a gross understatement. Ciaran is a friend to RSUA, a man who makes things happen, who backs new ideas and a man who wants to see architecture flourish in Northern Ireland. And he does it all with a genuine courtesy, trust and decency.”
Read the full citation here.
Landscape architect, illustrator and designer Peter Hutchinson was the second person recognised as an Honorary Member for his contribution to the sector.
John Lavery, RSUA President said, “From designing the first pedestrian precinct outside Belfast in 1981 with the delivery of the Bow Street Mall Pedestrianisation in Lisburn right through to the designs for the Hill of the O’Neill in Dungannon in 2012, Peter has been a champion for design excellence.”
Read the full citation here.
Students
The event also saw recognition for the best of the next generation of architectural talent. The six best undergraduates and six best postgraduates from Queen’s University and Ulster University were showcased in the venue.
Hannah Jackson from Queen’s University won the Bronze Medal for best undergraduate student. Hannah’s project proposed an ecological monitoring centre and community hub on Rathlin Island that would eventually be reclaimed by rising sea levels and evolve into a new marine habitat that supports the diverse ecosystem.
Ryan McCracken from Queen’s University was awarded the Silver Medal for best postgraduate student. Ryan’s thesis presented a case for the re-imagining of the tower blocks in the New Lodge in Belfast, using examples of carbon cost-effective adaptive reuse and community led regeneration to challenge the systemic demolition of social housing.
Read more here.
Design Competition for Early Career Architects
Architecture Night 2025 also marked the announcement of the winner of ‘The Water Canon’ design competition, a collaboration between RSUA and JP Corry. As we face a water quality crisis in Northern Ireland, it challenged Early Career Architects to propose creative ideas for a public outdoor installation to make people think about our relationship with water.
The winning entry, ‘To Flow Together’ by Ciaran Magee reimagined the ancient Roman ‘compluvium’, a structure that gathered falling rainwater for domestic use. The judging panel was impressed by how this concept created a strong focal point on the landscape both by day and by night and its visual communication of the importance of how we collect our rain water. The competition winner will be commissioned to deliver the project in the coming months.
Read more here.
RSUA extends a thank you to our sponsors JP Corry, Hays Recruitment, Metal Technology, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Forbo x Ceco and Weinerberger, without whom the night wouldn’t have been possible.
