In early 2020, PHA were invited to project manage the gallery refreshment programme at the Titanic Museum in Belfast. The project was delayed due to the Covid pandemic, with work finally starting in spring of 2022 with the preparation of tenders for the major elements of work.
The designers, Opera from Amsterdam, created the design for the gallery refreshment, which started in gallery 6 and ran through three stories of the building, ending in the final area, gallery 10.
An important part of the works involved the refurbishment of galleries 6, 7 8 and 10, bringing several new interactive exhibits to the remodelled space. General Construction was done by Fabrite, AV Systems by DJ Willrich, Lighting by White Light, Media by Shosho and showcases by Frank showcases.
The refreshment included galleries:
6 - The Sinking
7 - Never Again
8 - Ballards’ Quest
9 - The Ship of Dreams
10 - The Lasting Legacy
The major works, however, involved the internal demolition of the main theatre, gallery 9. This included significant general construction works, remodelling the auditorium style theatre from a single screen auditorium show into a 360˚ immersive theatre. This comprised of 15 projectors, blended onto a multifaceted projection surface, supported by theatre lighting and comprehensive audio. The visitors transit from one level of the gallery to another, via a new circular staircase. The central feature, a 7.6mm skeletal model of the Titanic was built by Fiction Factory and their sub contractors, 181 delivered the internal lighting.