Each building rescued by the trust seeks to regenerate the community it serves in a variety of ways, from traditional skills promotion to job creation and engendering a sense of civic pride.
[2] The BBT has completed three regeneration projects: St Patrick's School, Donegall Street; Christ Church, College Square North; and The Gate Lodge at the former Good Shepherd Convent on Ormeau Road, which now serves as the trust's headquarters.
St Patrick's was built by Newryborn architect Timothy Hevey on land donated by the Marquess of Donegall for the first Catholic national school in the city.
With a similar package of funding to St Patrick's School and a partnership with the board of governors of The Royal Belfast Academical Institution the building is now restored as a library and IT centre, with extensive community use.
Long a landmark for both the local community and commuters alike, the building ceased to be a residence in 1974, and lay empty and derelict until the trust agreed a restoration project with the then owners, the Diocese of Down and Connor, in early 2009.
Completed in November of the same year, The Gate Lodge, now remarked upon for its bright red exterior, serves as the offices of the BBT and is once again a much loved landmark for the city.