The character of Belfast’s buildings and streets is unique. The grand scale of the city centre contrasts with the intimacy of the terraced housing that surrounds it. The grid of the centre of the city brings together buildings of very large scale to frame distant views of the hills. Networks of small streets bring together accessible and modest accommodation in a model for ‘sustainable communities’.

These are the places that make Belfast very special. Like all buildings they need periodic maintenance and upgrading as they age. In many parts of the city, however, they are instead being demolished. Along with them are lost not only buildings of individual architectural merit, but also often the streetscapes of the city and the paths of universal access from one area to another.

Recently, a new building type has emerged in Belfast in the form of large-scale city-centre apartment buildings. These offer arrangements of domestic living new to the city, and sometimes incorporate shopping and entertainment venues. In the right context, with a good mix of uses, and an appropriate scale, these can contribute hugely to the ‘liveability’ of the city, for residents and passers-by alike.

Sometimes, however, these apartment buildings are disconnected from the scale and grain of the city and sit as isolated blocks. Often they are fuelled by investment and speculation, becoming rental enclaves. They are at their most contentious when they coincide with the territorial lines of the two communities. Might there be other ways of procuring housing, other scales of development, other ways of designing that can deal with the complex spatial and social realities of Belfast?