Before the Maiden Voyage

A century has passed since she tragically sank in the Atlantic Ocean’s icy waters, yet the story of RMS Titanic remains as magnetic as ever. Not only is it a story of love and loss – triumph forever tarnished by tragedy – it is a lens through which we can view society. A place to read class relationships, understand industrial powerhouses and grapple with cultural norms of the day.

Titanic’s story is told through our breakthrough, multi award-winning visitor attraction: Titanic Belfast. Titanic Belfast celebrates the industrial city that gave birth to her, the skills of those who built her and the life and times of those who sailed her.

We started this project at the earliest stage. Our brief was to turn a blank canvas into a world-class visitor attraction that would regenerate the city’s derelict docklands. Extensive research and feasibility studies materialised into a powerful and persuasive idea: a retelling of the Titanic story in the very shipyard where she was built and launched more than a century ago. Our concept drove the architectural competition. Then, together with the architects, we embarked on our journey to tell this epic story.

We had to think big to do justice to the historic site and sheer scale of the story. The experience boldly moves you from genesis to demise, rediscovery to afterlife. With only a handful of artefacts for display – some letters and scale models – the museum is almost entirely digital. It uses a full spectrum of immersive techniques to bring the ship to life around you – sights, smells and sounds transport you back in time.

The full motion Shipyard Ride experience takes you through the ship – its passenger cars rising and falling as you plunge through the bowels of the hull. Weave between engine rooms to captain’s bridge, first-class cabins to navigation decks, each space painstakingly recreated from original plans. The drawing room experience is like stepping inside an engineer’s mind. Projections of the ship’s technical sketches are animated all around. Drawings wash over you, running the length of the floor and wrapping around the walls. Touching the walls unlocks animations and reveals more stories about the ship.

Today, the attraction sees nearly one million visitors every year, transforming Belfast’s tourist economy. It has won multiple awards, become an example in the use of public space in post-conflict areas and set the standard for civic regeneration projects around the world.