1999 – Waterfront Hall, Belfast

The Waterfront Hall is the prestigious focal point of Belfast’s “Laganside” river-front regeneration, which aimed to reconnect the city centre to the River Lagan. Large modern auditorium built as part of the rejuvenation of the city. The cylindrical building features a couple of levels of bars and restaurants in a glazed offshoot (to the left in picture). The project was conceived by Belfast City Council in 1978 although it took until 1992 before it was properly underway on site. Paul Larmour in Modern Ulster Architecture points out that the Waterfront Hall was the first major civic building in Belfast since the 1930s and also the first in the 20th century to be designed by local architects.