12. Enabling future generations
Sustainability is deeply embedded in the project and in the design response to date – from passive environmental strategies to long-term spatial adaptability. The building is designed to endure not only in terms of performance, but in its relevance to the lives of those who use it. It offers the flexibility needed for a changing city and an evolving culture – ensuring that Belfast Stories remains a home for the city’s many voices, even as they shift over time.
The ambition is that Belfast Stories can be a structure that does not tell a single story, but holds space for many – past, present and future. As such it invites the city in – not only to look back, but to look forward together.
Approach to environmental sustainability
The intention is that Belfast Stories demonstrates best and exemplar practice in sustainable design. The project therefore includes a range of energy and sustainability targets in the brief that will continue to evolve with the design.
The project promotes a series of specific targets and maintains an understanding of the intent behind accreditations. These will be monitored and will be used to inform decisions as the design continues to develop. This includes:
- Passivhaus Plus – extremely low energy design targets and maximised renewable energy generation
- Net Zero Carbon enabled - Net Zero compatible operational energy strategy and complemented by Passivhaus Plus energy use targets
- Net Zero Carbon – Carbon management plan and embodied carbon strategy to demonstrate best practice performance against industry appropriate embodied carbon targets
- BREEAM Outstanding – and would be one of the first buildings in Belfast to achieve this
Wider sustainability goals are demonstrated and complemented by following the BREEAM methodology and achieving the highest rating possible i.e. BREEAM Outstanding. Examples of wider sustainability goals are:
- Flood risk, SUDs and water use strategy
- Ecology and maximising value
- Sustainable transport
- Health and wellbeing
- Climate change adaption
- Sustainable construction practices snd circular economy principles
By assessing and guiding the design with respect to these aspects, BREEAM will minimise environmental impact, enhance occupant well-being, and contribute to a more sustainable development.
Route to Net Zero
The project focuses on meeting defined embodied carbon targets by designing the superstructure with low-embodied carbon strategies. Structural systems have been assessed for performance and embodied carbon impact, ensuring alignment with client requirements for quality and flexibility. Material selection has involved consideration of low-carbon materials, such as the use of recycled steel and cement replacements.
More than a building
At the heart of this ambitious project is a love for Belfast, its people and their stories. For Belfast Stories to be successful it must be authentic and inclusive in its storytelling. We have developed an interpretive masterplan that outlines considerations and recommendations for developing the best ways to gather stories, welcome visitors and share authentic connections - not just for the benefit of Belfast Stories but for the benefit of the people of Belfast – as communities of place, practice and interest.
This in turn has helped shape the concept design for the overall visitor experience and has inspired how we can weave stories through the city – for storylines to become city lines.
The concept design for the visitor experience takes a complex thing, the stories of Belfast, and proposes a simple structure – time and space. What this means is that stories will be arranged and presented based on what time of day they took place or where they happened. Below presents at a high level how this might be applied to the building. The next stage of design will be to develop this further including what stories might be told and how.
Entangled Lives
Interpretation on the roof responds to the idea of connection across time and space. Three strands offer different ways of connecting: the playful garden, the productive garden, the memory garden.
Life in a Day
Time creates the overarching structure for the visitor exhibition and galleries. But as you move through the 24- hour cycle, you encounter multiple stories from multiple days. This is an infinite archive of stories to journey through, spinning your own Belfast Story as you go.
Day in the Life
Interpretation will be light touch, but we weave a common thread, connected by the idea of elevating the everyday. We showcase stories that celebrate each day in Belfast - through the welcome of the courtyard, programming of spaces, food & drink, and the continuation of your journey to exhibition level.
How are we making decisions?
There are many layers to the governance that supports the delivery of Belfast Stories.
These fall into two key areas:
Investment Decisions (ID)
These are the dual decision-making processes related to the funding coming from Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Executive through the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD). The BRCD Executive Board includes representatives from the six councils that make up the Belfast region as well as government departments and arm’s length bodies such as Tourism NI.
Delivery Groups (DG)
This tier of structures has responsibility for overseeing the delivery of Belfast Stories and for managing the design teams appointed to deliver the building and user experience. These groups are made up of key Belfast City Council staff including directors and managers and key stakeholder representatives as advisors.
If Belfast Stories is successful in securing Belfast Region City Deal funding from the Northern Ireland Executive, these governance structures will be updated to reflect the conditions set out in a contract for funding.
Platforms for engagement
Various engagement platforms have been established and maintained, including:
Elected Members' Working Group: this cross-party group has been established to ensure elected members have the opportunity to provide input, advice and oversight in the development and delivery of Belfast Stories.
Stories Network: established in 2023 as an open forum for anyone to attend with a purpose to provide access to engaging with the project and updates at key milestones. Now in 2025, this will split into a Stakeholder Forum focused on project progress and a Stories Forum focused on the programme of story gathering initiatives.
Equality Consultative Forum: is an expert by experience group that acts as a sounding board for Belfast City Council and its contractors on all project areas including engagement, story gathering and design.
Screen Reference Group: given the importance of the screen industries to the successful of Belfast Stories, a dedicated group has been set up following an open call for representatives from across different parts of the industry. The purpose of this group is to provide advice and challenge to the project and design teams.
Stories Panel: a new Stories Panel is being set up with an open call for expressions of interest in November – December 2025. The purpose of this group is to bring together representatives from heritage, community development, arts, governance and ethics, history, archives and storytelling to provide advice and challenge to the project and designs team on how we will gather, preserve and present stories. This will include the development and implementation of different policies.
Opening our doors
We aim to open the doors of Belfast Stories in 2030. There are a number of key milestones between now and then to keep us on track.
Key milestones up to receiving our Contract for Funding are as follows:
Remainder of 2025
- Commence RIBA stage 3 design
- Commence procurement for Main Contractor and Experience Design Team
- Delivery of Stories Development Plan including launch of Community Grants
- First meeting of Screen Reference Group
- Set up Stories Panel
- Develop and test options for how we will own, operate and manage Belfast Stories (Operator Model)
- Pre-application community consultation as part of planning process
- Funding decision from Northern Ireland Executive (approval of the outline business case)
- Ongoing Site surveys and investigations
Early 2026
- Appointment of Main Contractor (Early Contractor Involvement – ECI)
- Appointment of Experience Design Team
- Submit Planning Application
- Secure Contract for Funding
- Launch Inclusive Growth Plan
Delivery Programme 2026-2030
2026
- Appointment of Experience Design Team
- Detailed Design RIBA stages 3 & 4
- Planning permission
- Appoint Contractor Team
- Decision on operator model
- Full Business Case approval
- Ongoing story collection
2027
- Construction
- Commencement RIBA stage 5
- Brand development
- Ongoing story collection
- Agree Curatorial Policy (how we’ll tell our stories)
- Jobs and Skills Programmes
2028
- Construction
- Ongoing story collection
- Launch to international markets
- Jobs and Skills Programmes
2029
- Construction
- Ongoing story collection
- International marketing and campaigns
- Jobs and Skills Programmes
2030
- Estimated Construction Completion RIBA stage 6
- Ongoing story collection
- Jobs and Skills Programmes
- Opening doors to welcome locals and visitors
