Located on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, the Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center enhances the waterfront and serves as a multipurpose, event space powerhouse, welcoming visitors and hosting functions such as conferences and banquets. Sited between Town Point Park and Nauticus, the terminal facility supports the region’s focus on tourism and economic development as a cruise ship port call. With a floor-to-ceiling glass exterior, the terminal design delivers a strong sense of place and reinforces its connection to the water with stunning river views.
The pier structure below the building was designed and constructed over the Elizabeth River specifically to support the terminal building. A cast-in-place and precast concrete superstructure, the pier is supported on 20 inch, square prestressed concrete piles. Plumb piles provide the primary means of support for vertical loads (dead and live), while batter piles resist lateral loads from wind and seismic forces. The superstructure is composed of pile bent caps running east to west cast monolithic with beams running north to south. The beams support the deck slab, which consists of precast concrete panels (stay-in-place forms) with a cast-in-place composite concrete topping.
Additional marine engineering to support the terminal was extensive, including a breasting dolphin to augment the existing Nauticus cruise ship pier and a loading dock extending to the existing Nauticus pier. Our waterfront engineers also designed a foundation over the river for a large pedestrian bridge to and from the terminal building. These are cast-in-place concrete superstructures supported on 20 inch square precast, prestressed concrete piles.
The Center has earned multiple design awards, including 2008 APWA Public Works Project of the Year and 2009 ACEC Virginia Engineering Excellence Grand Award.