BELFAST | Titanic Signature Project

[belfastuniguy]

The Titanic Signature Project
















The cultural lynch pin of the new Titanic Quarter, the Titanic Signature Project will transform Queen's Island into a dynamic leisure destination of international significance. Historic precedents have driven the design process, the final form reflecting the industrial legacy of Harland & Wolf and the wider impact of shipbuilding and the sea on Belfast's development. The prow of the building's glass-walled atrium plots a course down the centre of the listed Titanic and Olympic slipways towards the lapping waters of the River Lagan. The project's close proximity to the very site where these two famous leviathans were forged lends it unparalleled levels of authenticity and immediacy that will help make its contents the definitive telling of those liners' stories.



The building's form conjures up a mass of maritime metaphors; its four projecting segments are instantly evocative of ships prows ploughing their way through the North Atlantic swell. Almost the entire façade will be clad in faceted, three-dimensional zinc plates in a pattern redolent of the construction methods used on the great ocean liners. The reflection pools that spread out from its base further enhance the allusions to naval architecture, multiplying the reflections and nocturnal illuminations. The lower portions of the four wedges tell the evolution of shipbuilding technology by being first clad with lapped timber planking, riveted iron, welded steel, and finally, aluminium.



A powerful engine of regeneration, the project combines valuable amenities and rich experiences to fulfil the needs and expectations of guests and residents alike. The careful balance of cultural and commercial functions has produced a financially sustainable centre capable of raising income directly through tourism and corporate hospitality. With its cantilevered floor plates expanding outwards from a modest footprint, the project delivers these multiple attractions without encroaching upon the historic remnants of the shipyards that are being preserved wherever possible. Most tangible of these are the Slipway Gardens where the outlines of the Olympic and Titanic will be traced into the paving to allow visitors to walk the length of their decks once more.



Internally, the project provides over 12,000 sqm of floor space and over 5 floors whose combined height is equivalent to a 10-storey building. These generous ceiling heights allow for suitably large-scale exhibits, the lower levels being controlled environments, which create atmospheric installations evocative of heavy industry or the depths of a ship's hull. Directly under the sweeping roof lies a prestigious banqueting hall with panoramic views out over the landscaped plaza that has received a similar attention to detail. Strips of under-lit glass radiate from a compass rose laid into the atrium floor, creating a dramatic 'carpet of light' rolled out across the square. Referencing the rhumb lines of antique nautical charts, these lines allow pedestrians to navigate to other local landmarks, forging connections between the museum's displays and the actual topography of the site.

Infused with an inherent sense of place, the Titanic Signature Project will present a constant reminder of Belfasts progressive engineering prowess. Planned for completion by 2012 to coincide with the centenary of Titanic's maiden voyage, its graphic silhouette will come to symbolise Belfast's metamorphosis from 19th century engineering powerhouse to 21st century metropolis.

June 2009



October 2009



March 2010
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May 2010
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July 2010
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September 2010
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October 2010
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December 2010
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February 2011


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April 2011
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May 2011
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SSC Titanic Signature Project Thread

[belfastuniguy]

JUNE 2011




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[belfastuniguy]

JULY 2011
















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[belfastuniguy]

August - November 2011















Images Courtesy of Donal McCann

[Mwmbwls]

Have any anchor tenants been identified?

[belfastuniguy]

Originally Posted by Mwmbwls

Have any anchor tenants been identified?

It's a maritime heritage museum and Titanic visitor attraction.

[belfastuniguy]

Some fantastic events planned for the opening!

The building opens on the 31st March and the following couple of weeks will include light and firework shows and an MTV concert on the 13th April. There many more Titanic related events happening across Belfast and Northern Ireland ranging from art exhibitions, concerts, plays, festivals, commemorations and tours.

Titanic Belfast

December 2011 - February 2012

- Work continues on The Grand Staircase

- Last window in the Titanic Suite is hoisted into place

- Metal and wood cladding in the central atrium is finished

- Set dressing the shipyard ride continues

- The underground car park nears completion

- Work on the external public areas is well underway

- Floor finishes and compass rose completed in welcome atrium

- Work on surrounding public plaza and slipways continues

- Public lighting on slipways installed













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[belfastuniguy]

March 2012





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[belfastuniguy]

[belfastuniguy]

SLIPWAYS

The site where “Titanic” and its sister ship “Olympic” were built and launched is a scheduled monument. It is to be restored with its original concrete industrial base, bogey rails and the 2 concrete “wedges” which supported the 2 bows renovated. The plan outline of each ship will be incised into the concrete in lit glass. A timber deck river walk follows the line of the stern of each ship.
On the “Titanic’s” site the outline of the main deck houses will also be incised in light and a modern take on the benches will be appropriately placed. The “Olympic’s” site will be a form of memorial garden with 4 alternating pairs of solid deck and grass with daffodils. The 4 blocks of grass with flowers, reminiscent of the poppy field in Normandy, will represent the proportions of those who died in each of the 3 social classes and the crew; the solid deck will represent those who survived. Their respective names will be etched in glass panels set on the vertical faces of the 2 wedges” top lit with fibre optics. Coloured spotlights recessed into the base will shine beams of light upwards to mark the positions of the former gantry over the ships.







ARROL & PLATERS YARD

The site is on the east side of the River Lagan and the west side of the former Harland and Wolff slipways on which the Titanic and the Olympic were built. It is part of a 2nd phase of development by Titanic Quarter Ltd and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. The proposal is for a 400 bedroom hotel with conference/banqueting facilities, a spa, restaurants and bars, apartments and live/work studios. It climbs up at the north end to the height of the top point of the former gantry which was on the site for 60 years and was a dominant feature seen from Belfast on the opposite river bank.






NORTH YARD & NORTH YARD OFFICES

The proposed development is part of a master plan for the former Harland and Wolff shipyard prepared by Civic Art. This site called North Yard adjoins the slipways on which “Titanic” and its sister ship “Olympic” were built. It contains 580 apartments, live/work units, small shops, coffee and drink bars, and 1,500 square metres of offices. The buildings rise from 4 storeys adjoining the former listed drawing offices and headquarters building to 22 storeys. This was the height of the gantry over “Titanic” and “Olympic”.With this height matched by a proposed hotel on the other side of the slipways a strong reference is made to the scale of the former gantry structure which straddled the site. The tracery-like pattern of the facades also reflects the rhythm of the former gantry and the pattern of the iron plates of the Titanic & Olympic ships’ hulls.The material colours, gloss black round the periphery, white and yellow/gold in the central square were those of the White Star shipping line, for whom these ships were built.

The proposals are currently under consideration by the local Planning Office.