Background

The Shaws Road Irish Language Medium Primary was the first such school in Belfast. Having taught for a generation in mobile classrooms the new school building is now in use.

Surrounded by the back gardens of houses and apartments. From site entrance the ground rises 6m to the rear boundary.

Approach

The building is a simple double loaded top-lit central resource teaching area which cranks its way along the site. The floor level is lifted 1.8m above existing level to raise the body and head of the school to look over the suburbs to the city beyond as a gesture of confidence that the Irish Language Community is a vibrant part of the life and culture of the city.

The school hall is located close to the entrance to facilitate community use and to create an external courtyard space as threshold to the school. The main material of the elevation is self coloured render and the leading edge of the roof is turned-coat steel.