Tree House Student Centre, Queen’s University Belfast

The new social hub at the centre of the new Queen’s Elms Halls of Residence development provides essential student community facilities for this residential island close to the heart of Belfast city centre.

The hub makes provision for cafeteria areas, a walk-in coffee shop of retail standard, juice bar, franchised supermarket, ATM point, laundry and an extensive catering and conference facility.

A pedestrianised walkway or ‘street’ passes from one side of the site to the other, running right through the centre of the social hub linking North and South residences. Covered cafés line either side of this walkway within the hub itself. On rare occasions where the conference facilities are used in conjunction with the café areas for a particularly large event, the double height vertical space on the North side of the building offers the special linkage to allow the building to function as one single large space.

WINNER - RSUA DESIGN AWARDS - PLANNING SERVICE AWARD

2006