Living

OMAC (2)

Brief

OMAC 2 is the proposed twelve million pound purpose built Arts Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which for the past seventeen years has been based in a late Georgian mansion at College Square North.  The RIBA carried out a two stage open competition for the design of the new Arts Centre in February 2007.

The new OMAC will be heavily influenced by the surrounding area of St. Anne's Square, which is undergoing an eighty million pounds development project.  The new centre will accommodate a three hundred and fifty seat theatre, a one hundred and twenty seat studio theatre, a large one thousand square meter visual arts exhibition area, dance studios and rehearsal rooms, as well as a café and restaurant.

Response

It was our intention to propose a building that relates directly to the rich character, history and context of this unique location, while responding to the physical constraints and opportunities afforded by the site.  We proposed an external weathering steel façade to evoke all the expressive qualities of an arts centre while relating specifically to Belfast’s rich social, cultural and economic history.  The design therefore creates an exciting, vibrant space which is intrinsically related to and reflective of the culture and community it is there to serve and enhance.  Our response to a collective development of the detail design of the building’s façade aspires to embody the community and youth groups with a sense of ownership, not only with the physical internal spaces but with the actual building fabric itself and its relationship to the urban realm beyond.

Outcome

More than one hundred entries were anonymously received from around the world.  Keppie was one of the five practices shortlisted to further develop its concepts into a second stage final submission. To our delight, the announcement of the shortlist in the Belfast Telegraph featured an interview with Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep who was one of the project sponsors.

Team