BBC

Like Birmingham's new landmark Selfridges department store - featured in this column on Wednesday - the Batik Building is dedicated to selling elegant designer goods in a clean, modern environment. That's where the parallels end. While Brum's vaunted new retail magnet is a huge, brassy statement against the city's cluttered skyline, Batik, on the fringes of Belfast centre, is low-rise, modestly sized and quietly understated. Nevertheless, it is a distinguished new building for the city, where urban regeneration is one of the most tangible effects of the "peace dividend". The building recently won an annual award from the Royal Institution of British Architects. Built on part of the old Ormeau Road gas works, the building combines mostly showroom with some office space for Batik Interiors, a contemporary design and furniture shop.