special report: government & public buildings 23
degrees, with complicated geometries that rely heavily on advanced computer aided analysis. The façade has been designed to have a crys-
talline or shard like appearance, which has been created from three thousand different shaped panels each folded from silver anodized aluminium sheets into complicated asymmetrical geometries. Of the three thousand panels, two thousand are completely unique in form while none of the ‘typical’ panels repeat more than twenty times – creating a startlingly random effect, which always manages to catch the light, a bit like a cut diamond. From the central atrium, a series of glass esca-
lators, each in excess of 20 metres long, stretch up through a jagged central void. At first floor height a wide bridge gives access to the start of the Titanic story. The proximity of the Titanic and Olympic
Slipways, the Harland and Wolff drawing offices and Hamilton Graving Dock, where the SS Nomadic is now berthed, had all been central con- siderations during the design, planning and con- struction of the project. These heritage elements are more than just scheduled monuments and listed buildings – they represent a cornerstone of Belfast’s folk memory and identity.
Titanic Belfast® • Titanic Belfast®
– facts & figures saw the largest ever concrete
pour on the island to form its foundations – 4,200 cubic metres, circa 700 concrete lorry deliveries, one every two minutes for almost 24 hours
• The entire external façade is clad in 3,000 indi- vidual silver anodized aluminium shards and will be enhanced by reflective pools of water sur-
rounding the base of the structure • Titanic Belfast® has the longest free span escala-
tor on the island. At over 25 metres long, it has 124 steps and provides access to the exhibition
• The entrance level ground floor is 1,796 sq m (19,332 sq ft) which includes a 60ft high wall covered in sheet metal panels similar in size to those used on Titanic’s hull
• The ticketing desks are designed to duplicate wooden keel blocks, akin to those which Titanic’s massive 46,328 tonnes rested upon in the Titanic Dock
• Titanic Belfast® is twice the size of Belfast City Hall covering 150,700 sq ft
• Highest point of the building is 38.5 metres (126 feet) from the plaza level
• External façade replicates four 90ft high hulls • Titanic Belfast®
is located 100 yards in front of
where Titanic's hull was launched; to its right is the drawing office where she was designed and to the left is the River Lagan where she first set sail.
‘The entire external
facade is clad in 3,000 individual silver anodized aluminium shards’
Infused with an inherent sense of place, the
Titanic Signature Project will present a constant reminder of Belfast’s progressive engineering prowess. It’s completion this year coincides with the centenary of Titanic's maiden voyage, its graphic silhouette will come to symbolise Belf-
ast's metamorphosis from 19th century engineer- ing powerhouse to 21st century metropolis. Titanic Belfast®
is wholly owned by Titanic
Foundation Limited and operated by Titanic Belf- ast Limited. It has been funded in partnership with Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Belfast City Council, Belfast Harbour Commissioners & Titanic Quarter Limited. The building was constructed by Harcourt Construction (NI) Limited.
‘The building is the iconic centrepiece of the Titanic Quarter Regeneration’
Client: Titanic Foundation Limited Concept Design Architects: Eric R Kuhne & Associates Lead Consultants: Todd Architects Construction: Harcourt Developments / Harcourt Construction Exhibition Design: Event Communications Limited Facade Consultants/Contractors: MetallbauFrueh Spanwall: EDM Products Structural Facades: RFR Paris Engineering Consultants: RPS Consulting, Belfast Acoustic Design: Arup Acoustics, Glasgow Consulting and Electrical Engineers: Tavakoli Associates,Belfast Consulting Engineers: AECOM – M&E and IT/AV Lighting Design Consultants: Bliss Fasman, New York
Catering Consultants: Coverpoint, Reading
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