Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Alive, dramatic and accessible.

The Lyric, is the main full-time producing theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The new facility features a new main theatre with a seating capacity of almost 400 and a multi-function performance space 'The Studio' which can seat 120.
The building replaced a 1960's theatre that occupied the site previously and the new plan follows the outline of the irregularly shaped site whilst creating flowing spaces for public circulation.  

Architectural Highlights
Occupying a contrasting site, the Lyric stands beside trees on sloping ground by the Lagan river yet also meets a block of red brick residential terraces.  Constructed in the same Belfast brick, the Lyric Theatre was short-listed for the 2012 Stirling Prize.

dormakaba’s contribution to the project
High volumes of visitor traffic represent a major challenge when providing safe access and egress for a theatre.  To this end, MB Architectural chose dormakaba products to provide the optimum in high durability for circulation routes and corridors.
For security, reliability and appearance, the 9000 series panic hardware was chosen for the emergency escape routes.  The 9000 series full width touchbar, meets all product testing requirements and standards (CE marked to EN 1125), and provides secure locking and easy egress when required.
130 x TS93 cam action closers were supplied to help meet accessibility and fire requirements. Ideal for heavily trafficked buildings, dormakaba cam action closers give minimal resistance throughout the opening and closing cycle, making door operation easier and safer.  
These were combined with 100 dormakaba locks – a mixture of mortice latch and deadlocks, and mortice sashlocks.

Featured products in this project