Lady Pirrie House and Dargan House in Belfast have achieved a Secured by Design Gold Award
Secured by Design (SBD) awards recognise projects that apply SBD principles of crime prevention through environmental design, alongside the implementation of police endorsed third-party tested products such as secure windows, doors, locks, CCTV and lighting.
Lady Pirrie House and Dargan House form part of Loftlines, a new urban community in the Titanic Quarter, featuring sustainable homes across a range of tenures including Build-to-Rent, affordable apartments and social housing in the city centre.
Lady Pirrie House and Dargan House recognised for secure design
The development was approved as part of Belfast City Council’s broader housing strategy to address housing shortages along with enhancing public spaces and providing commercial and leisure amenities such as gyms, co-working spaces and community areas.
The development block offers a mix of social and affordable housing. While all social housing in Northern Ireland must meet SBD Gold standards, this is not the case for other residential properties. It was important to Titanic Quarter and the developers, Lacuna Development, to create a residential area that was consistently safe across all the homes whether they were social housing or for sale.
Construction began in May 2022, and the project was signed off in January 2026, with SBD principles adopted throughout. SBD licensed consultant Pete Connolly had an instrumental role providing technical guidance, for example finding solutions for the stair and building floorplates that required additional access control, sourcing suitable suppliers and products and facilitating workshops with contractors/developers GRAHAM to come up with workable solutions to problems. Regular communication and collaboration with GRAHAM resulted in a successful and smooth build.
Loftlines supports the regeneration of Belfast’s Titanic Quarter
Loftlines forms part of an ambitious multi-million-pound regeneration in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, an area spanning 185 acres of waterfront on the former Harland & Wolff Shipyard.
Once a thriving dockyard and the location where RMS Titanic was designed and built, the Titanic Quarter has been transformed into a vibrant mixed-use zone including tourist and heritage sites, residential housing blocks, commercial workspaces, leisure and entertainment facilities and venues. The centrepiece of the project is the Titanic Belfast museum, which draws in crowds from around the world.
Pete said: “This has been a great project for me. To work with the development team from the early concept state, I consulted throughout all the development, and the team were on site and in regular contact seeing assurance and guidance. That level of consultation allows for a smoother integration of SBD.”
Anthony Best, managing director of Lacuna Developments, said: “Lacuna is delighted to see this award recognised all the hard work by the team over the last number of years. At the heart of Dargan House and Lady Pirrie House at Loftlines has been a commitment to setting new standards for social and affordable housing in Belfast and this award is testament to that.”
James Eyre, chief executive of Titanic Quarter, said: “We are delighted to see Watkin Jones, GRAHAM, Lacuna Developments and TODD Architects presented with this award. It clearly demonstrates their commitment – and that of their wider team – to achieving the highest Secured by Design Gold standards here in Titanic Quarter.”
Michael Bunyan, group development director at Watkin Jones, said: “This accreditation reflects the rigour behind our collaborative approach and commitment along with our partners to create safe, high-quality homes which are also built with a high level of security in mind. As we continue delivering Loftlines, this award reinforces the value of designing responsibly as we help shape a sustainable new neighbourhood for the residents of Belfast.”
Michael Daly, chief officer of Belfast Harbour Police, said: “Secured by Design recognises developments that follow nationally recognised police standards for crime prevention through construction and design. These principles were built into Loftlines from the very beginning and are shaping a neighbourhood that is safe and welcoming. Creating places where people feel secure is central to community wellbeing, and developments built to this standard make a meaningful contribution to supporting policing and fostering safer neighbourhoods”.
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