We are in a strong phase of sustained growth, increasing our team by more than 20 per cent over the past year, and have expanded our presence with the opening of a new studio in Belfast.
This latest step reflects our continued growth and builds on our commitment to putting people, place and purpose at the heart of every design, demonstrating real outcomes for communities.
Our Belfast studio is led by senior architects Darren Breslin and Damien Graham, a long-standing duo whose complementary skillsets, sector experience and friendship have been central to our expansion into the region.
As our director Simon Dunstan explains:
“Like all good things at GT3, the establishment of the Belfast studio started with people. It’s Darren and Damien’s partnership, their architectural synchronisation and trust in each other, their individual expertise and shared vision, that gave us the ambition to confidently invest in a long-term future in Belfast.
“We’re really not looking at this as your orthodox footprint expansion, but it rather marks a deliberate step forward in our evolution, a move to grow with intent while continuing to deliver people-first places across the UK and Ireland.”
Having previously worked together in Newcastle, Darren and Damien reconnected professionally when Darren made the move back to Northern Ireland, bringing GT3’s progressive design culture with him. Over time, their success delivering projects remotely, alongside our growing project portfolio across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, prompted the next step in establishing a permanent presence.
Our Belfast studio opened earlier this year in a city centre co-working space and has already become a hub of collaboration, design and innovation. Alongside bringing our sports and leisure expertise into the Northern Irish architecture scene, we are seeing equal demand across adjacent sectors including workplace and interior design, supported by our people-led approach to design.
Senior architect Damien Graham says:
“Sport and leisure is a sector that truly lives its purpose. These buildings are designed to make people’s lives healthier, serving communities in a way no other typology truly does. That’s why I was drawn to GT3’s People Architecture ethos. When I came back to Belfast, the opportunity to help shape something different and meaningful was one I couldn’t pass up.”
Damien has spent his post-master’s career almost exclusively in sport and leisure architecture and is passionate about the long-term community value of this typology. Darren brings wide-ranging design experience from across the UK and Ireland, including involvement in major mixed-use regeneration schemes such as the Guinness Quarter in Dublin. He is also playing a key role in developing our expertise in emerging technologies, from AI-led feasibility modelling and generative design to establishing ethical frameworks and governance around the use of AI in architectural practice.
Project architect Darren Breslin adds:
“GT3’s approach to design is both collaborative and strategic, which aligns perfectly with how we’ve grown the Belfast studio to date. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, combining national expertise with local insight, and helping clients embrace new ideas, including AI and digital tools that unlock capacity and accelerate workflows. More importantly, we’re supporting them in delivering meaningful, people-focused outcomes.”
The studio has hit the ground running, bidding for major projects across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, while continuing to deliver national schemes in England. Our flexible team structure has enabled Darren and Damien to remain fully embedded in live project delivery while laying the foundations for a long-term Northern Irish platform.
With strategic advantages including proximity to EU-linked markets, growing investment in public infrastructure and a strong pipeline of skilled graduates from local colleges and universities, our Belfast base is already proving a valuable addition to the practice.
Looking ahead, our ambition is to grow a fully rounded studio capable of delivering projects locally, while maintaining a clear focus on quality over speed.
Simon concludes:
“We’re committed to growing around the right people, at the right pace. We’re already seeing momentum build and we’re hopeful that we’ll soon be able to announce a significant Belfast-based leisure project that would mark a fantastic next chapter for the team and the practice.”