Opened in May 1959 by H.R.H Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh K.G, The David Keir Building, a Grade B1 listed building, houses several scientific departments. It was named after Sir David Keir (1895 - 1973): Academic; historian and administrator. It is the largest building in the university and one of the largest by area in Ulster; as several of its floors are subterranean this is not immediately obvious.
The building, designed by Lanchester and Lodge in the 1950s and built on the site of the former Chlorine House and its grounds, is architecturally curious, having three planned frontages, one on the Malone Road, one of a completely different style (or styles) on the Stranmillis Road, and a third which was designed to dominate the apex of those two arterial roads opposite the Whitla Hall; however, the existing buildings proved too valuable to demolish as planned and the third entrance façade, through which the entrant to the building is confronted at once with doors into a large lecture theatre at the rear on top of its ranked seating, lies in something approximating to an alleyway, rather out of sight.
The commentators of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society in their 1975 publication, were rather dismissive of the collection of different architectural idioms; users of the building have been almost unanimous in finding it labyrinthine, not easily navigable; even maintenance staff members were known simply to get lost in the maze of corridors.
The building is the home of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Psychology, School of Planning Architecture and Civil Engineering, School of Agri-food and land use.
This cache forms part of the Queens University Belfast series. Also in this series are:
Lanyon Building GC4BNXZ
The Ashby GC4BNYC
Riddel Hall GC4BNYG
McClay Library GC4BQAT
While the university refers to its main site as a campus, the university's buildings are in fact spread over a number of public streets in South Belfast, centring around University Road, University Square and Stranmillis Roadwith other departments located further afield.