The Architects’ Journal Feature: Four Lessons in Placemaking from a Belfast Coffee Kiosk
Queens Quay is celebrated in a lovely article about the project as a placemaking exemplar in the Architects Journal
We’re delighted that our Queen’s Quay Coffee Kiosk has been featured in a lovely article in the The Architects’ Journal – “Four Lessons in Placemaking from a Belfast Coffee Kiosk” by Dan Anderson.
The article recognises the project as “a small-but-smart intervention that makes the whole environment more welcoming, sociable and fun.” The kiosk builds on the approach developed through our DRIFT floating pavilion — combining architecture, placemaking and live engagement to re-energise Belfast’s waterfront.
Crafted in weathered Corten steel with bright yellow sails, the kiosk reflects its maritime setting while offering a contemporary civic space. Operated by the fantastic Native Coffee, it transforms a transitional site into a lively hub for daily encounters, cultural events and community initiatives — from quiz nights and music sessions to workshops that bring together local residents, artists and newcomers.
Everyday architecture with civic purpose
Dan Anderson’s review captures what we strive for: a form of urban design grounded in social life. He notes how simple design choices — “moveable chairs instead of benches,” “board games and Jenga sets on the counter,” “dog biscuits, books and guitars” — create a sense of invitation, ownership and delight. These small gestures make the kiosk both a public space and a living room for the city.
Lessons in placemaking
The review identifies four key lessons that resonate with our broader practice:
Flexibility and agency – Movable furniture empowers people to shape their own experience of place.
Playfulness and informality – Everyday cues to play and linger make the city feel more open, inclusive and safe.
Vibrancy from within – Authentic activity emerges from tenants and partners who programme their own events, not from top-down management.
Meaningful heritage – The design draws lightly on the harbour’s industrial past; materials like rusted chains, planters and sails evoke memory without resorting to pastiche.
A shared civic experiment
For us, Queen’s Quay represents the essence of meanwhile use — a temporary intervention that tests new ways of inhabiting public space. Through urban research, collaboration and live engagement, we’ve shown how a modest architectural gesture can generate lasting social and environmental value.
As Anderson concludes, “Many small decisions, taken with care, can take something ordinary and make it memorable.”