New Gate Arts and Culture Centre

Through the considered application of wienerberger's Oast Russet brick, McGurk Architects have woven a contemporary cultural venue into Derry's historic fabric, creating dialogue between past and present while serving vital community needs.

This £2.3m transformation breathes new life into the Fountain area of Derry, where the challenge lay in crafting a modern cultural hub that would resonate with the area's industrial heritage. The architects' masterful deployment of wienerberger's Oast Russet brick proves pivotal in this architectural narrative, its warm tones and robust character echoing the surrounding historic infrastructure while facilitating contemporary expression.

The building's material dialogue with its context is particularly compelling at the Kennedy Street approach, where the Oast Russet brick creates a seamless visual conversation with adjacent red brick terraces and the iconic former Welch Margetson shirt factory. This material harmony achieves more than mere historical mimicry - it establishes what the architects term a "modern industrial aesthetic" that both honours and reinterprets the area's manufacturing heritage.

The textural qualities and chromatic warmth of wienerberger's Oast Russet brick were instrumental in achieving the architect’s vision. The material allowed developers to create contemporary architectural expressions while maintaining a tangible connection to Derry's built heritage, particularly important in this historically sensitive location.

Perhaps most ingeniously, the architects exploited the brick's versatility to create what they describe as spatial "alleys" - transparent breaks in the façade that punctuate the performance space volume. These moments of architectural punctuation are enhanced by intricate extruded brick detailing around fenestration, creating a rhythm that harmonises with surrounding listed buildings while introducing contemporary architectural language.

The material narrative continues internally, where the Oast Russet brick flows from exterior to interior, defining a dramatic triple-height entrance foyer. Here, suspended link bridges create an "internal street" - a clever architectural device that blurs boundaries between public realm and cultural space. The brick's tactile qualities add warmth and character to this transitional space, creating what one visitor described as "a natural progression from cityscape to cultural venue."

This BREEAM Very Good rated project demonstrates how thoughtful material selection can support both environmental and social sustainability goals. The robust character of wienerberger's brick contributes to the building's longevity while its thermal mass properties enhance energy performance. More significantly, the material helps root this new cultural asset within its community, creating a shared space that feels both contemporary and contextually appropriate.

The New Gate Arts & Culture Centre exemplifies how wienerberger's products can facilitate architecture that serves contemporary needs while respecting historical context. Through sophisticated material application and careful attention to detail, McGurk Architects have created a cultural landmark that enriches Derry's architectural landscape while providing vital community space.

"The selection of wienerberger's Oast Russet brick was crucial to achieving our vision for New Gate," explained Fergal Rainey RIBA MRIAI ARB, Senior Architect, McGurk Architects Ltd. "We needed a material that could bridge Derry's rich industrial heritage with contemporary architectural expression. The brick's warm tones and versatile application allowed us to create a building that feels both innovative and deeply rooted in its context, particularly in how it dialogues with the historic Welch Margetson factory and surrounding streetscape."