BELFAST | Titanic Quarter | Olympic House - U/C
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And here's the long waited confirmation:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/b...lion-titanic-centre-to-go-ahead-14111196.html
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/b...lion-titanic-centre-to-go-ahead-14111196.html
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I hope that the construction of the Titanic signature project will be the catalyst that kick-starts development in this area, as did construction of the Waterfront in the early 90's, really got the whole Laganside redevelopment into the public's mind. Back then the City Council was split (correct me if I'm wrong ) DUP & SF against, UUP SDLP in favour - how times have changed!
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Does anyone know whether the commencment of the titanic signature project in january means that the rest of phase 2 surrounding it will go ahead as well? Surely it would be a joke if the signature project was finished in 2012 and everything was half built around it? There are around 450 apartments nearing completion in phase one and there are multiple times that in phase 2 which includes a tower of around 30 storeys. How on earth are Harcourt goin to sustain themselves for long if they cant sell those apartments and cant Borrow the hundreds of millions needed for phase 2? The money is there to build the signature project but what bank wants to finance the rest of the colossal phase 2?
One thing we do well in Belfast is a mess!!!! ha ha ha
I watched the fly around of the signature project and I have to say I was impressed with the shape and size of the building. It has 5 storeys but these are not ordinary office height storeys-this building will be a cathedral of a building at a guess at least 39m tall. It is a unique shape and will be very iconic. However one flaw and we like to do this to all our iconic buildings. It is walled in. Why does it not front onto the river. There is not one approach that this building will be visible, unless you arrive head on from Scotland in a boat. The same has almost happened to the Waterfront Hall. The shipyard cranes are still amazing structures that really symbolise Belfast.
I watched the fly around of the signature project and I have to say I was impressed with the shape and size of the building. It has 5 storeys but these are not ordinary office height storeys-this building will be a cathedral of a building at a guess at least 39m tall. It is a unique shape and will be very iconic. However one flaw and we like to do this to all our iconic buildings. It is walled in. Why does it not front onto the river. There is not one approach that this building will be visible, unless you arrive head on from Scotland in a boat. The same has almost happened to the Waterfront Hall. The shipyard cranes are still amazing structures that really symbolise Belfast.
I just wonder about that tower, I think the CAA will scale it down.
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Sighs sadly - yet more Cornflake boxes. Crapitecture invades the Titanic Quarter, and not a tram line in sight, despite the fact that it's a totally new build site. So- Belfast gets it wrong again - how inevitable and depressing is that? Is it possible that I am the only person who thinks that this is just not good enough?
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Let's see what the final design for the big tower looks like before we write the scheme off (provided the airport doesn't write off the possibility of a tower first...), although the smaller buildings would look better if they had more innovative designs, would they take away from the centrepiece signature project if everything looked cutting edge?
I totally agree with you on the tram issue, Belfast has missed out on a great opportunity there
hno:
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So - following your logic - Lets' build a pile of shitty little, non-entity boxes, so that one of them can look good by comparison? Great thinking.
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I think if its all built to the plan and includes the 25 to 30 storey tower titanic quarter will look good. Yes some of the buildings are too boxy but when you start to see it from the ground like you can with the gateway offices and apartments now it will start too look impressive. Ive always Thought that Tall white building up near queens was very nice and titanic quarter being built on that theme should really add contrast to the slight dullness of belfast.
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"Shitty" and "non-entity" weren't mentioned in my post. :bash: If you feel the need to criticise other forum members, at least make it constructive. Misquoting them and having a go doesn't help anyone.
One of the big tourist guides called Belfast the 'Paris of the north' or something like that a few weeks ago, so lets use the Eiffel tower as an example. It's an iconic, world famous tourist attraction, as the TQ is aiming to be. You won't find any "shitty", "non-entity boxes" near it, but the point is that nothing around it attempts to compete with the tower, making it stand out and ensuring that it remains an icon without being smothered by other attempts at iconic structures. See my point?
I take your point TV, but wasn't the Eiffel tower put up after everything else around it anyway? I think Sydney Harbour is a better example. Theres the bridge and the opera house, all the buildings from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay are completely non.
If this signature project is as good as it sounds, then I hope its there to see from multiple vantage points, unlike the Waterfront Hall, which has been completely smothered.
If this signature project is as good as it sounds, then I hope its there to see from multiple vantage points, unlike the Waterfront Hall, which has been completely smothered.
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Sydney Opera House is a good example for that, hadn't thought of that one!
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I was thinking about TQ and how it will have several 1000 homes. It's only then that I realised the scale of the project. In square miles it would be around the size of somewhere like Rathcoole. I have heard very little about anything apart from the big buildings- the arc, BIFHE etc. As this will be a massive residential area, will it have much in the way in facilities. Are the planners behind this putting proper thought into the need for shops, bars and the like. Or is it going to be as poorly served as any of the 60's council estates, which were the big projects of their time like TQ will be of the 2010's.
The fact that all the residents will be very rich confuses the situation a bit. There wont be a massive demand for mundane things like a Barber that charges under a tenner for a haircut, or a bookies or something. But common sense dictates you'll need to have a handful of cornershops about the place, a post office, butchers, bars, leisure centre/gym, doctors, churches?
The place isnt big enough to be a 'new town', but even still a lot of thought has to go into this, it cant all be housing, workplaces and touristy buildings. The last time Belfast went through a phase of massive building they were unable to create vibrant communities. I wonder if the same will happen here. There's the danger that as the area will have a super quick bus to City hall every minutes people will travel out of the area to get anything. That lifestyle hasnt worked all that well for our current suburbs.
The fact that all the residents will be very rich confuses the situation a bit. There wont be a massive demand for mundane things like a Barber that charges under a tenner for a haircut, or a bookies or something. But common sense dictates you'll need to have a handful of cornershops about the place, a post office, butchers, bars, leisure centre/gym, doctors, churches?
The place isnt big enough to be a 'new town', but even still a lot of thought has to go into this, it cant all be housing, workplaces and touristy buildings. The last time Belfast went through a phase of massive building they were unable to create vibrant communities. I wonder if the same will happen here. There's the danger that as the area will have a super quick bus to City hall every minutes people will travel out of the area to get anything. That lifestyle hasnt worked all that well for our current suburbs.
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I see your point, but I disagree with it. Firstly the area is aimed at several sections of the community from residents, students, tourists, those employed there and the general public.
Of course there are going to be shops, restaurants, bars, cafés etc etc. Businesses establish where they believe they can make money and they will make money in Titanic Quarter. Firstly you have the thousands of students that will be there everyday....they need shops, cafés and a maybe a bar or two. The tourists will expect the same and more.
Don't expect quaint corner shops, I'm talking about things like Centra, Tesco Metro's, Sainsbury Local, Simply Food etc etc. Don't expect churches as such a notion is ridiculous and they have no place there. Leisure centres are maybe unlikely given how expensive land is, but gyms are a very strong possibility in addition to a health club or two.
The comparison with Rathcoole is flawed, this area is slap bang in Belfast within 5 minutes walk or so or the city centre proper, even closer with the rapid bus and hopefully later on a tram. People are of course going to still go into the CC but then again that's where the best and more established venues are. The area, once the other phases are developed will in my opinion become a vibrant community with the benefits of local services and shops and the convenience of having the city centre a few minutes away.
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The point I was trying to make was that the needs of residents and outsiders (students, tourists etc) might not necesarily be the same. Take pubs, cafes & restaurants for example. They are the kind of thing which could easily cater for the outsiders to the detriment of locals. Might not happen like that but who knows.
A supermarket, even a tiny one, would be a step in the right direction. Would certainly make the place feel like a 'real' area. I only mentioned churches because if you think about a lot of 60's suburbs that's the only facilities they have. They also tend to be keener to move into a new unproven area compared to businesses. Though with TQ's rents they wouldnt move in.
As for Rathcoole, I mentioned that as that's the kind of size Titanic Quarter is, though if all phases get built it could end up having a much larger population than it.
as it currently stands the walk from TQ to town is significantly longer than 5 minutes, and the desolation of the building site and the oddysea car park wasteland will make it seem a real slog. obviously it will be vastly improved once it gets finished, but it will be interesting to see if residents just get lazy and go to the oddysea instead
A supermarket, even a tiny one, would be a step in the right direction. Would certainly make the place feel like a 'real' area. I only mentioned churches because if you think about a lot of 60's suburbs that's the only facilities they have. They also tend to be keener to move into a new unproven area compared to businesses. Though with TQ's rents they wouldnt move in.
As for Rathcoole, I mentioned that as that's the kind of size Titanic Quarter is, though if all phases get built it could end up having a much larger population than it.
as it currently stands the walk from TQ to town is significantly longer than 5 minutes, and the desolation of the building site and the oddysea car park wasteland will make it seem a real slog. obviously it will be vastly improved once it gets finished, but it will be interesting to see if residents just get lazy and go to the oddysea instead
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Has anyone got an estimate for the eventual population of the TQ?
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Took a drive through titanic quarter today and nothings started as such on the signature project. They've just been crushing piles of concrete that are stored there.
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