Victoria Square

Victoria Square bases itself on an open street model more prevalent in mainland European cities: it is an urban grain streetscape, not a mall. Every facet of the footprint connects with the city, establishing new relationships between previously disjointed areas of the public realm. The architecture successfully integrates itself with the surrounding streets using a variety of materials to complement the proportion and massing of the building elements which acknowledge the scale of existing city plot sizes. An entire high quality urban neighbourhood is woven into the city fabric through the provision of multi-level pedestrian streets and exciting mixed-use facilities which support a 24 hour economy.

Pedestrian circulation is defined and punctuated by a series of hierarchies of landmarks, streets and spaces. Main spaces or ‘nodal points’ are Arthur Square, now incorporated within the Belfast ‘Streets Ahead’ project, and the newly created domed space within Victoria Square. This space permits pedestrian movement both horizontally and vertically, with smaller sub-spaces at high level and links to the various elements within the development. The colonnaded streets which converge on this public space are not fully enclosed as in a mall. Rather, they are sheltered by oversailing glass canopies which protect shoppers from the rain and wind. Smaller scale landscaped courtyards are located at higher levels to serve restaurants and the residences, which overlook a series of sedum roofs on the restaurants and cinemas.