It tells the stories of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic.

The building contains more than 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, private function rooms and community facilities.

It was used for many years by the shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who built huge slipways and graving docks to accommodate the simultaneous construction of the Olympic, Titanic and the Britannic.

A number of heritage features were given listed status, including the Olympic Titanic and Britannic slipways and graving docks, as well as the iconic Samson and Goliath cranes.

The task of creating the visitor attraction was taken on by Harcourt Developments, who enlisted the help of the American architect Eric Kuhne and British exhibition designers Event Communications.

It is intended to serve a similar transformational function to that of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, as a focus for the regeneration of the city.

The tourist attraction has also welcomed many famous visitors including Queen Elizabeth II, the man who discovered the Titanic, Robert Ballard,[17] and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

On the top floor of the museum is Belfast's largest conference and reception space, the Titanic Suite, a banqueting facility capable of seating 750 people.

[20] Project director for interior architects Kay Elliott, Mark Muir proposed that a replica-like Titanic's staircase could be made for the building.

The superstructure, composed of a steel frame with composite concrete beams and floors, required careful consideration of stability, especially with the large, unrestrained heights.

Made of bronze, it is mounted on a brass base, evoking the design of figureheads on ships' prows, and is meant to represent hope and positivity.

The figure was dedicated by representatives of the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian churches on 27 March 2012, a few days before the opening of Titanic Belfast.

[24] The second gallery is dominated by a steel scaffold standing 20 metres (66 ft), which alludes to the Arrol Gantry built to aid the construction of Titanic and Olympic.

The visit continues on a six-seater car which takes the visitor on a ride through a recreation of a shipyard which moves through a scale replica of Titanic's enormous rudder.

[24] The fourth gallery presents a large-scale model of Titanic to illustrate how the ship appeared to its passengers and crew, depicting all three classes of cabins.

A central feature in the gallery presents a 360-degree computer-generated tour around Titanic through all the levels of the vessel, from the engine room to the dining saloons and the bridge.

Presented in conjunction with the discoverer of the wreck of Titanic, Dr Robert Ballard, the gallery illustrates his expeditions to the ship through footage, audio and images.

Oceanographer Robert Ballard said he favoured this group since it would ensure that the memorabilia would be permanently displayed in Belfast (where the Titanic was built) and in Greenwich.