PROJECT
GRANDOPERAHOUSE, BELFAST
SPECTACULAR CONSERVATION AND STRUCTURAL RESTORATION FEAT DESERVES A STANDING OVATION… TRACEY BROTHERS, TAKE A BOW
D elivering the £12.2 million Grand Opera House restoration and re-imagination project was a very fulfilling experience for Tracey Brothers as they secure the future for one of Belfast’s most-loved buildings. It was a tale of two buildings, as Peter Maguire Commercial Manager explained, “The focus of the work was split into two distinct areas. One was the extensive restoration of the 1895-listed auditorium building - which is one of the best surviving examples of the oriental theatre style design of the most prolific auditorium architect of the time, Frank Matcham - combined with the installation of state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems and new seating to meet modern-day theatregoer expectations. Alongside this was the re-imagination of the 2006 extension to make it more accessible for all and sympathetic to the
historic auditorium building. Fitted out with rich finishes, it houses the stunning glazed helical staircase, enhanced bar and hospitality facilities and the installation of new interpretative spaces telling the story of the Grand Opera House.” It’s not surprising that this unique restoration project threw up some difficult challenges. “There were very few records of the original building nor the extensive ad hoc repair and restoration works carried out during its previous 125-year lifespan,” said Peter. “We were planning to install and coordinate an extensive range of modern specialist theatre services but we couldn’t disturb the historic fabric of the auditorium which features ornate oriental mouldings and ceiling paintings. It took weeks of intensive surveys on site trying to identify routes for services which would ensure accessibility for future maintenance whilst protecting the
building’s heritage.” David Malseed, Contracts Manager added, “It was extremely challenging to bring a 19th century building up to 21st century standards when, effectively a lot of the structural elements that we were going to uncover were simply unknown. It required intensive co-ordination on site with an extensive team of specialists in order to incorporate over 100,000m of cabling for the audio and lighting installation into a building that was never designed for this – without leaving so much as a hairline crack to the existing fabric of the building.” The 2006 building - known in the Grand Opera House as ‘Act 2’ - was completely re-engineered. Stripped back to its bare structure and re-fitted out to the highest standard of quality, this building has been completely transformed. James McKittrick, Construction Manager
“Tobring it up to 21st century standards and retain what’s original – that’s an achievement.”
14 | NI BUILDER
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