Client:
Primark
Service:
Service
Location:
Belfast, Northern Ireland
The Project
The Bank Buildings on Castle Place is one of Belfast's best-known landmarks — a Grade B1 listed department store designed by W. H. Lynn and completed in 1900, and Primark's flagship store in Northern Ireland. In August 2018 a devastating fire destroyed the building's roof and interior, leaving only the historic façades standing. Over the following four years, a £100 million restoration conserved those façades and built a new internal structure behind them. Tusker's steelworks division delivered steelwork on the project, which won the Restoration Projects category at the 2023 Irish Steel Awards.
The Challenge
Restoring a Grade B1 listed landmark where the fire left only the damaged historic façades standing
Safely dismantling the most unstable sections of masonry on a constrained city-centre site
Building a new steel and reinforced concrete structure behind retained heritage façades, to conservation standards
Coordinating with a large design and construction team on a high-profile, closely watched four-year project
The Solution
Rather than demolish, the project team took a conservation-led approach. The surviving sandstone, granite and brick façades were stabilised and retained, the most unstable masonry was carefully taken down, recorded and restored, and a new steel and reinforced concrete structure was built behind them.
Tusker's steelworks division delivered steelwork for the restoration, with crane hire provided by Tusker's crane division. The project was led by main contractor Bennett Construction, working with a specialist team of architects, conservation engineers and stonework contractors.
The Result
The restored Bank Buildings reopened to the public in November 2022, returning Primark's flagship Northern Ireland store to the heart of Belfast with 88,100 sq ft of retail space across five levels. Tusker was named winner of the Restoration Projects category at the 2023 Irish Steel Awards, and runner-up in Steel Structures in Major Construction Projects, for the Primark Belfast project. The wider project has also been recognised with the AJ Architecture Award and IStructE Conservation Award (both 2023) and the Irish Georgian Society Conservation Award (2024).
Project Team
Tusker - Steelworks and Crane Hire
Primark - Client
Bennett Construction - Main Contractor
JCA Architects - Architects
Hall Black Douglas - Conservation Architects
DBFL - Civil and Structural Engineers
Ayesa - Conservation Engineers
Creggstone - Specialist Stonework