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25 January 2012 Last updated at 14:12

In Pictures: Titanic Belfast on course for opening

The Titanic Belfast building is on course to open in March in time for the centenary of the liner's sinking on 14 April 1912. At an estimated cost of around 拢97m, the development is the most expensive tourism project ever built in Northern Ireland. These photographs by Belfast photographer Donal McCann document its construction

The 14,000-sq-metre (150,700-sq-ft) building will include a shipyard ride, an ocean exploration centre which includes live links with Dr Robert Ballard鈥檚 exploration vessel Nautilus, recreations of the ship鈥檚 cabins, staircase and lifeboat along with a 1,000-seater conference and banqueting suite

According to Titanic Belfast, the buildings singular design was influenced by "several maritime themes, including ice crystals, ships' hulls and the insignia of the White Star Line." The external facade replicates four 90-foot high hulls

Construction began in May 2009 using designs from the architecture firms Civic Arts, Eric R. Kuhne & Associates, Todd Architects and Kay Elliot Architects

Titanic Belfast is located 100 yards in front of where Titanic's hull was launched; to its right is the drawing office where she was designed and to the left is the River Lagan where she first set sail

"When you stand in the middle of the building, 100 feet in front of you - if you look out northwards - that's where the Titanic was built," said project director Noel Molloy

"One hundred feet to your right, that's the drawing office - that's where the Titanic was drawn. Out to your left is the River Lagan where the Titanic first set sail from and down to your south is where the workers came from every day."

The outside of the building is covered in 3,000 individual silver anodized aluminum shards, each folded into complicated asymmetrical geometries

The individual panels combine to enhance the crystalline appearance of the building's exterior

Visitors to the Titanic Quarter can also see the SS Nomadic - the last remaining White Star ship and the Titanic's launching dock, take part in a Titanic tour on land or by boat and visit the Public Records Office to research ancestors and local history

Titanic Belfast along with Belfast City Council and the Northern Irish Tourist Board will host a number of events throughout 2012 to mark the city's Titanic connections

Planned events for the Belfast Titanic Festival 2012 include an MTV concert at the Titanic Slipway, a play based on testimonies given to the Titanic Inquiry in 1912, a Titanic memorial garden in the grounds of city hall, along with exhibitions, films and talks

The operator of Titanic Belfast, Titanic Foundation, is predicting that about 400,000 people will come through the doors per year

More photographs of the site can be seen on Donal McCann's website. Titanic Belfast opens to the public on 31 March

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Northern Ireland

In Pictures: Titanic Belfast on course for opening

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