Microbiology Building

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Six storey with basement modern multiple-bay building in International style with Brutalist influences, built between 1961-1964 to designs by Sir Hugh Casson of London firm Casson & Condor. Main building block has a rectangular plan form orientated E-W set onto a significantly larger, irregular plan single storey LG floor level. LGF has rectangular projecting section to NW, bastion shaped canted section to NE and rectangular return to SE. Battered concrete shuttering to LGF walls. Building accessed primarily via covered flat roofed walkways to N at both GF and LGF levels. The building is distinctive in its use of prefabricated modular concrete panels and forms part of the Royal Victoria Hospital complex; situated to the S of the Grosvenor Road access route and to the NW of Mulhouse Road.

Main building has flat roof of unknown construction set below parapet to N and E with a large raised rectangular chimney vent to both E and W. Raised plant room to centre of roof with flat roof and metal chimneys. RWG's are concealed within walling. Roof of LGF is flat with concrete paving slabs and provides a walkway around main building. At SE arm of LGF two remaining rectangular sections of glass blocks form roof lights, four blocks in width and six in length. Covered walkway to N of building also has flat roof supported by square-section pillars.

LGF constructed from vertically shuttered poured concrete walling topped by simple circular section horizontal railing. GF level of main building block constructed from sections of glazed curtain walling to N and S with continuous horizontal band of high level glazing, intermittent sections of Flemish bond brown bricks pierced by rectangular square headed windows having thin green slate cills. Upper storeys utilise modular prefabricated concrete sections with continuous horizontal bands of single glazed three pane steel windows. Narrow wrap-around horizontal band windows to facade edges at each level. Concrete panels between horizontal glazing.

Principal elevation

The front elevation (N) has glazed steel-framed curtain walling to GF and two glazed entrance doors flanked by perpendicular projecting glazed panels. Lower sections of glazing flanking main door at GF have frosted glass. Lower level of covered walkway has two timber doors to main building leading to two now blocked up doorways in below ground level boundary walling to N. Thin horizontal band of windows to LGF walling, now blocked. Rectangular balconies with square-section metal railings project from first bay of main building at each upper floor to W.

East elevation
Thin splayed full-height arrow-loop type window opening to centre of GF level with recessed steel framed light. This is flanked by a window to the N and glazed two pane metal framed door to S. Concrete panels and narrow wrap-around horizontal band windows to upper floors. Planked timber door to centre of LGF in recessed section with some steel framed windows remaining unblocked to SE. End elevation of concrete stairs to S elevation having concrete panels and painted metal horizontal handrail and balustrade.

South elevation
Southern facade largely similar to principle N elevation, except central four bays which have only narrow horizontal windows at ceiling level of each floor, intersected by thin vertical windows at each floor level. External concrete staircase to SE supported by central concrete column of rectangular section connecting all floors and roof. Painted metal handrail of circular section to stairs. Three sliding timber two pane glazed doors to LGF housed in recess formed by cantilever construction of extending LGF flat roof.

West elevation
Similar to E elevation with thin splayed full-height arrow-loop type window at centre of GF, flanked by window to N and door to S. Concrete panels and narrow wrap-around horizontal banded windows at edge of each floor. Large metal vent rises externally to roof from FF window. LGF has sheet metal door and thin horizontal steel framed rectangular windows. Vertical concrete shuttering below LGF windows and smooth finish above.

Setting

The Microbiology building is located within the Royal Victoria Hospital complex, to the S of the Grosvenor Road access route and to the NW of Mulhouse Road. Principal entrance to main building is approached from public footpath to N via a covered walkway at both GF and LGF levels. Concrete shuttering, topped by simple circular section hand rail, forms retaining boundary to N, NW and E. Local access road to W where ground falls to rear of building with large tarmaced car park to S. Area between public footpath and irregular plan of LGF set to lawn with some established trees.

Roof: flat roof (covering unknown)
RWGs: concealed
Walling: mainly concrete shuttering to LGF level, prefabricated concrete panels to upper floors and Flemish bond
brown bricks with glazed curtain walling to GF
Windows: generally steel framed horizontal bands of single glazing

Historical information

In the course of the nineteenth century Belfast expanded at a phenomenal rate. In 1800 its population stood at around 20,000. By 1841 it had reached 70,000 and in 1871 it had topped 120,000, while in 1911 it was 385,000, by some way the largest urban population in Ireland. As Belfast’s population rose, there was increasing pressure on its medical facilities, especially the Belfast Royal Hospital in Frederick Street. By the end of the 1800s it was clear that a new hospital was needed for Belfast.

The Royal Victoria Hospital was built at the junction of the Grosvenor and Falls Roads and was designed by William Henman of Henman & Cooper who had previously been responsible for the Birmingham General Hospital. McLaughlin & Harvey won the contract to build the new hospital in September 1900. The foundation stone was laid early in 1901 and the new hospital was officially opened on 27 July 1903 by Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on their trip to Belfast during visit to Ireland.

From the 1950s a range of important new buildings were erected along the hospital road. Described by Clarke (p. 145) as ‘perhaps the most architecturally distinguished post-war building on the site’, the Microbiology Building, which opened in 1964, was funded through a generous subvention from the Poliomyelitis Society. It was designed in 1961 by Sir Hugh Casson of the London firm of Casson & Condor.

Larmour (p. 98) is even more impressed with the building, writing, ‘Surely one of the high points in modern architecture in Belfast. It seems to recall the “heroic period” of the Modern Movement in its uncompromising boldness, sleek form and functionalist stance.’ In ‘Builders, bricks and mortarboards’, the structure is noted as being ‘starker and less approachable than the Ashby and such uncompromising modernity would perhaps prove less acceptable today.’

References

Published sources

Hospital and Health Management, vol. 27 (1964)
Paul Larmour, Belfast: an illustrated architectural guide (Belfast, 1987)
R. S. J. Clarke, The Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast: a history, 1797-1997 (Belfast, 1997)

Online sources

Builders, bricks and mortarboards: the architecture of Queen’s University, 1845-2005: http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/EstatesDirectorate/FileStore/BuildersBricksandMortarboards/Filetoupload,21848,en.pdf
Archiseek: http://archiseek.com/2012/1965-microbiology-building-royal-victoria-hospital-belfast/#.U6lAwkCC6So

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A prominent modern building built between 1961-4, to designs by Sir Hugh Casson, in International style displaying elements of Brutalism. Ribbed cast and battered concrete walling to lower ground floor adds a textural dimension to the building along with an external staircase. Its wrap-around windows, horizontal bands of glazing and concrete panels displaying the building's modular construction. Forming part of the wider Royal Victoria Hospital complex (HB26/32/001A-L), within which the main historic buildings were built in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, it represents the move to more simplistic functional forms and mechanised building components during the post war era.