
The Waterfront Hall

The Auditorium
'Waterfront Hall' is
concert hall and
exhibition centre in
Belfast,
Northern Ireland, designed by local architecture firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practise partner Peter McGukin was the project architect.
The hall is located in the Lanyon Place, the flagship development of the
Laganside Corporation. The development is named after the architect
Charles Lanyon. Planning for the building began 1989, with the hall being completed in 1997 for the sum of £32 million. The main circular Auditorium seats 2,241 and is based on the Berlin Philharmonic Hall designed by
Hans Scharoun. However the flexible design of the Auditorium allows the stalls seating to be moved to create a larger arena. The smaller adjoining Studio seats 380. The dome of the building is coated in copper. This is so the exterior will eventually turn green and reflect the dome of
Belfast City Hall and other
Victorian buildings in the
city centre. The building also contains bars and a restaurant.
In 2002 the hall was voted the second best conference centre in the world in the Apex Awards. A 2006 Socio-Economic Impact Study commissioned by
Belfast City Council found that the hall had generated £10 for the city for every £1 spent on operational costs. The hall is a key venue for the
Belfast Festival at Queen's.
External links
★
Official website
★
Belfast City Council -About Waterfront Hall
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Robinson McIlwaine architects