Thursday 18 September 2025

Design work by Queen’s University architecture students is being showcased this month as part of the ‘State of Belfast’ exhibition in the MAC, focused on tackling Northern Ireland’s housing crisis. 

Through the StreetSpace project at Queen’s, the students have partnered with Participation and the Practice of Rights’s (PPR) campaign Take Back the City and international research project Change Stories.

The students have been working on proposals for the redevelopment of the 25-acre Mackies site in West Belfast, which has been the centre of a long-standing campaign for much-needed housing.

Dr Agustina Martire, who is leading the project at Queen’s, said: “Our students spent a year working on a collaborative project to design a spatial plan that could help address Northern Ireland’s housing crisis.

“They focused on the redevelopment of the Mackies site in Belfast and using a design-led, human-centred approach, they have engaged with communities, exploring housing, home and neighbourhood through storytelling and ethnography.

“Partnership has been key to the success of the project, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with PPR and Change Stories. This has helped to reimagine public land for inclusive housing with all the services and amenities needed for a good quality of life.”

The ‘State of Belfast’ exhibition, runs at the MAC until September 21.

For more information on The State of Belfast exhibition, click here.