Plans for the development evolved from a decision of the Council dating back to 1978. At the time the Council decided to look at the potential of redeveloping a site at Mays Meadow to provide a new cultural venue for the city. Designs were drawn up throughout the 1980’s looking at various possibilities including a concert venue, theatre, ice rink, cinema and hotel.

While investigating the potential redevelopment of Mays Meadow the design team recommended to the Council that Lanyon Place represented a better location for such a cultural development. The site was known as Laganbank at the time and was used as surface car parking and the Oxford Street Bus Station. Belfast City Council vested the land required for the development but before any further progress could be achieved the Laganside Corporation was established by Central Government in 1989 to propose an overall development strategy for the Laganside area including the council owned Laganbank site.

Laganside Corporation came to the same conclusion as the Council that a concert hall / conference centre would be ideal for the prime riverfront site as a stimulus for further development along the Lagan. The Council and Laganside Corporation agreed that the Council would develop the soon to be Waterfront Hall and the Corporation would be responsible for the rest of the 14 acre Lanyon Place site.

In October 1991 work began on the design of the Waterfront Hall by the same design team which was appointed back in 1978 to look at possibilities for the Mays Meadow site. The Council wished to have construction underway by summer 2003 and a maximum limit was set on the cost of the scheme of £29.1m The EU contributed £4m, while the Department of the Environment provided £6m towards the project with Belfast City Council making up the difference.

The design team had one year to prepare for construction despite many complexities including the unusual consideration of helicopter noise impacting upon the concert venue. The security situation in Northern Ireland at the time meant that as well as the venue being under the flight path for Belfast City Airport, there was also a high level of helicopter activity around the city. The team therefore concluded that a concrete roof was essential for the building, and to further ensure the auditoriums acoustics were not compromised, they proposed that the main plant room for the building be structurally separate.

Gilbert Ash submitted the lowest tender and commenced work as the main contractor in May 1993.

During the summer in 1993 the Waterfront Hall project was nearly axed altogether as the newly elected Council, following summer elections, decided to investigate the cost of abandoning the development completely. However, when the study revealed that the cost could amount to £19.5m the Council dropped proposals to potentially scrap the building and construction continued.

Despite most of the structure being constructed from concrete, the Minor Hall was changed from a concrete structure to a steel frame structure during the build process. This design change enabled early completion of the plant room above the Hall which would allow for mechanical and electrical elements of the project to proceed much quicker. As such steel girders were selected to span the roof of the Hall and support the concrete ceiling and the plant room above the ceiling.

The roof was constructed during the summer in 1995 and complete in October 1995. The steelwork for the roof was delivered by Fisher Engineering to a temporary shed at Harland & Wolff were the components were fitted together as much as possible before being transported to the site for installation.

Construction was completed in January 1997 with the first performance in the same month on 17th January 1997. An official opening ceremony took place in May 1997 in which the Prince of Wales opened the building officially.
   

Associate Architect: MacRae Hanlon Spence
Masterplan Architect: Camlin Lonsdale
Structural Engineer: Kirk McClure Morton [RPS]
M & E Consultant: Mott MacDonald
Mechanical Contractor: Harvey Group
Quantity Surveyor: V. B. Evans & Co.
Theatre Consultant: Carr & Angier
Acoustic Consultant: Sandy Brown Associates
Steel Contractor: Fisher Engineering
Curtain Walling: McMullen Architectural Systems