Tour guide Gary Potter giving an update on the redevelopment of the former Athletics Stores
Members in Northern Ireland recently took a walking tour of key Belfast city centre construction sites. The city currently has 27 tower cranes dominating its skyline.
The tour guide was Gary Potter, founder of website futurebelfast.com. The tour took in the new Grand Central Hotel, with an update from Graham Construction; the former Athletics Stores, being redeveloped by O’Hare & McGovern; a multi-storey office refurbishment in the Cathedral Quarter, managed by Mac Interiors; the £22m student accommodation at Great Patrick Street, where Gilbert Ash gave an update on the build; and Ulster University, where Lagan Construction gave an overview of progress.
Quarter master: new Belfast hotel visit
Northern Ireland members also made a trip to the newly-opened Titanic Hotel in Belfast and to gain an overview of how the hotel fits into the Titanic Quarter Masterplan.
The former Harland & Wolff headquarters building and drawing offices, a B+ Listed building and unoccupied since 1989, has been restored and transformed into a boutique hotel.
The building was once the control centre for the largest shipyard in the world, where thousands of iconic ships including the White Star Olympic Class Liners – Olympic, Titanic and Britannic – and naval warships such as HMS Belfast were created and designed.
Titanic Quarter is a large-scale waterfront regeneration project, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the Titanic Belfast, winner of world’s best visitor attraction.
The event included an overview of Titanic Quarter and the masterplan for the area, a talk by Consarc Architects and Robinson McIlwaine on the challenges of restoring the former HQ Building, as well as a tour of the hotel.
