PROJECT
TEMPLEMORE BATHS, BELFAST
HERON BROS TRANSFORMED ONE OF BELFAST’S LANDMARK BUILDINGS INTO AN AMAZING VISITOR’S ATTRACTION AND A STATE-OF-THE-ART LEISURE CENTRE… A LESSON IN HISTORY AND RESTORATION
H eron Bros dove into history to bring a very special piece of Belfast’s heritage back to life. The contractors took on the redevelopment of Templemore Baths, the last working Victorian public baths on the island. The £17 million project included the refurbishment of the original building to include a visitor and learning centre, the restoration of one of the original pools and the building of an extension to house a brand-new leisure centre, complete with a 25m pool and gym. Built between 1889 and 1892, the Baths opened in 1893. Unfortunately, time hadn’t been kind to the landmark building. Some sections, such as the cubicles with the slipper baths used in a time when people resourced to public baths to get clean, had been closed for
50 years. “It was very close to a point of no return,” commented Heron Bros Project Manager John Cullen. “Some parts of the roof were open to the elements and the walls were taken by dry rot. We also found asbestos.” “As in any project, this one required a lot of care and attention, but especially patience due to the condition of the building,” John added. “All roofs had to be stripped off as carefully as possible, the timber work all redone and we obviously had to improve the performance of the building from an insulation point of view.” At the same time, the team also had to preserve the features of the original Baths and plan a state-of-the-art extension that would make a historical nod to the Victorian building. “The
“Learning more about restoration also instilled a sense of pride in everyone who took part in the project.”
26 | NI BUILDER
FOLLOW US ON:
www.nibuilder.co.uk
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online