Skip to content
< Back to projects

The Kelvin (RMI Architects)

Client

J&E Properties

Project Value

£4.1M

Status

Complete

Sector

All Projects, Workplace & Office

As a partner at RMI Architects, Rob Jennings led the transformation of Stokes House — a dated 1980s office building on College Square East, Belfast — into The Kelvin, a modern, energy-efficient workplace designed for today’s tenant expectations. Once known for its fortress-like aesthetic and red engineering brick, the building no longer met market needs and had become vacant.

Working in close collaboration with commercial agents Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), Rob developed a retention and retrofit strategy that preserved the core structure while reimagining the building’s appearance and performance. The design replaced the heavy brick façade with a buff brick and large-format glazing more sympathetic to the adjacent Assembly Buildings, dramatically improving natural light and visual connection to the street.

The redevelopment retained over 80% of the existing structure, avoiding unnecessary demolition and significantly reducing embodied carbon. Rob also secured planning permission for a future rooftop and rear extension, enabling long-term flexibility and value for the client. Completed during the pandemic, the building now provides 45,000 ft² of high-quality, Grade A office space in the city centre.

How Rob Added Value:

  • Devised a low-carbon office retrofit strategy, avoiding demolition and saving substantial embodied CO₂ emissions.
  • Transformed the building’s marketability by modernising its appearance and performance to Grade A standards.
  • Secured planning for a 20,000 ft² rooftop extension, providing additional future growth potential.
  • Delivered the project on time and on budget during Covid-19, managing design and site complexities under pressure.
BACK TO PROJECTS
PREV PROJECT
MV Works and TSD Office Extension
NEXT PROJECT
Weaving Works (RMI Architects)

Considering an office retrofit or commercial building upgrade?

We help owners unlock value, reduce carbon, and futureproof their assets.

Get In Touch