---
title: primark-2024
date: 2026-07-25
status: published
year: 2024
category: Best Major Regeneration of an Historic Building or Place over £1 million
tags: [2024]
author: winner
project: Primark, Bank Buildings, Belfast
angel: Joseph O’Connor
image: "/heritage_angels/shortlists/2024/primark.png"
video_link: "https://www.youtube.com/embed/xaTDuB0NwVI"
---

Joseph O’Connor oversaw the restoration of **Primark, Bank Buildings, Belfast.** In 2018 a devastating fire broke out in the B1 building, built by Lynn c1900, leaving a burnt out shell. The building was stabilised, the locality re-opened to pedestrians, and the exterior restored by expert craftspeople. The store was engineered to sit inside the shell on new foundations which support the roof and cladding, preserving a Belfast landmark.