User:Wsmcmordie/sandbox

Name
The name of the Arc has two meanings. As an abbreviation, it stands for the Abercorn Residential Complex. Also, the complex has a curved design which resembles an arc shape.

History
Initial plans for the Arc were unveiled in 2003, with the residential complex to be located in the Abercorn Basin section of the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. The promotional material was criticised as reaching "new heights of cultural cringe, at least for Belfast, wrapped around the language of urban renaissance".

The Arc was built between 2007 and 2009. Some apartments were purchased off-plan before they were ready for occupation. The global financial crisis of 2007-08 caused a collapse in property values in Northern Ireland and some intial buyers at the Arc were unable to complete purchases. The property developer, Titanic Quarter Limited, began legal proceedings to force owners to meet their obligations. With sales slow, the developers removed many apartments from the sales market and let them. A notable penthouse tenant was Emelia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen in Games of Thrones.

Apartment complex
The Arc contains 475 residential properties. They consist of: two-bed, one-bed and three-bed apartments; penthouses; and maisonettes (duplexes) facing Queens Road. In all, there are 26 different types of apartment. For example, a C-type is a one-bedroom apartment.

There are three buildings. The oldest, Building A, is closest to the city centre and has eight levels. Building B in the middle has ten levels. Building C, completed last, is the tallest with twelve levels. The three buildings are separated by two short cobbled alleys, which give access to Queens Road and are known as streetscapes. Each building is divided into four cores, except for Building A which has three cores and a branch of the Premier Inn budget hotel chain. The cores are therefore Core 2 to Core 12. Each core has one set of stairs, one lift, one foot exit to a streetscape and 2-4 foot exits to the utility and parking areas within the building. Access control is through fobs issued to residents. There is one type of fob for foot access (coded for a single core) and another to pass through any of the four vehicle gates. Each of the eleven cores has direct access by foot to the public street; the Arc has no single central entrance. There are no communal gym, spa or fitness facilities. The Arc has no concierge service.

Each building has an elevated patio garden for the private use of residents. Access is from the 1st or 2nd floors, depending on the core.

Allocated covered parking for residents is provided in basement garages which are at three levels and stretch the full length of the complex. There is a small number of parking spaces available for a daily fee. Basic facilities are provided for bicycles and motorcycles. There are no charging points for electric vehicles. There is no free visitor parking anywhere in the area.

The retail tenants are currently SPAR, Subway, the Paper Cup cafe and the Dock Cafe. The SPAR grocery store includes a sub post office. The rest of the available retail units are not in use at present.

The property manager is TQ (ARC) Building Management Limited.

The Arc has several postcodes in the BT3 postal area of Belfast and three different street numbers on Queens Road. Deliveries and post for residents should be addressed to X.YY The Arc, where X is the core and YY is the apartment number within the core. A fictitious example of a full address is: 8.99 The Arc, 2G Queens Road, Belfast BT3 9FG.

Public realm
The open ground in the immediate vicinity is known as the Arc Public Realm. This leisure space is designed in a style that is consistent with the rest of the Titanic Quarter. Most of it is a plaza between the apartments and the Abercorn Basin, which opens to the River Lagan and hosts Belfast Harbour Marina. This plaza is artistically enhanced with street furniture and is a public amenity. Next to the oldest residential building, the Belfast Buoys are installed.

Media appearances
The apartment complex has featured in popular television shows. For example, Marcella (Series 3 Episode 5) contains a scene in which a character parks in the Arc basement car park and walks away. For another scene, a "body" was filmed being thrown from an Arc apartment balcony.