Custom House, Belfast

Custom House is generally accepted to be one of Belfast’s finest buildings; designed by Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn 1854-7. The complete refurbishment of this imposing Grade B+ building required scrupulously resurrecting it in a meticulous, phased manner; creating the state-of-the-art, fully serviced shared office space that stands today.

The brief was to provide a modern, classic office amenity to meet the needs of the ‘ever-evolving’ office.

From each guest’s first step into the main reception, the aim has been to present Custom House as a space where tenants feel special first and foremost by enveloping them in an environment akin to that seen in luxurious hospitality.

The clean floorplan comprising of a central foyer framed by two prominent wings to each floor level offer varying external views, daylighting and retained historic fabric. Existing high ceilings with coved embellishments were retained, whilst the double-height sliding sash windows were carefully refurbished.

The building’s classic proportions and tall floor-to-floor proportions (unexpectedly) offer the possibility of flexible spaces in which partitions can be removed and the offices easily extended.

The design embraces the warehousing, classical and industrial heritage of Belfast to produce a historic, yet modern space that is unrivalled across NI.

Custom House was designed to achieve WELL Platinum status in line with an overarching aim to promote optimum comfort well beyond regulation standards.

Occupants can avail of public transport and cycle routes, positively promoting sustainable transport options – together with riverside walks along the adjacent River Lagan.

The Client and Design Team engaged with traditional methods of construction, included sand casting to fabricate new balusters to match the original design, employing local stone masons to complete new external stone walls and appointing trained artists to complete marble effect painting to feature columns.