st. mary's university college belfast

d-on architects have recently completed work at St. Mary's University College Belfast, a third level education college building situated off the Falls Road, Belfast. Despite not being listed, D-on architects were commissioned to restore the facades of the original 1900’s building including the chapel facades. Brickwork and sandstone on the facade had become blackened after decades of pollution exposure from the city air. Sandstone details had deteriorated and were in need of repair. D-on’s conservation approach was to replace only the most damaged sandstone details and retain as much historic fabric as possible. Our conservation view on the cleaning of the brickwork followed a similar approach. To avoid the use of harmful chemicals, the brickwork and sandstone details were steam cleaned following trial samples in small areas. The result is a restored and cleaned facade which still shows the patina of time.