Waitrose coming soon...

Today's xsite is Adrian...

The xsite designed Waitrose store on Osborne Road in Jesmond, Newcastle is well on its way to completion and is due to open its doors on 2nd November. The prominent site, a former petrol station, had been derelict for a number of years and its redevelopment has been eagerly anticipated. The building will house offices and warehousing on its upper floors and at street level a convenient, neighborhood, kinda baby-sized Waitrose store.

We can’t wait.       

Invisible Architectures Festival

Today's xsite is Nita...

The Invisible Architectures Festival, curated by Will Schrimshaw, was held on 9-11 September. xsite designed and constructed the meeting point for the festival, a bright red stall which could be easily erected and taken down each day. xsite have worked with Will on the project since he joined us for a Creative Residency earlier in 2011.

Invisible Architectures featured a number of local and international artists, brought together by Will, and focused on the non-visual side of Newcastle’s city centre: sound, ants, textures and more... The events were free and open to the public.  I participated in the Rhythymanalysis tour on the Saturday afternoon, a fascinating introduction to the concept of the ‘sound walk’. Over 2 hours we mapped the soundscape of Old Eldon Square, studied the way people moved through spaces and popped a balloon in an underpass to see how sound echoed within the space...

Overall the festival was a huge success and we hope to see it happening again in the future- bigger and better!

http://subliminalcity.co.uk/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1803521@N22/pool/

New Artist in Residence

Today's xsite is Anna...

We have a new Artist in Residence here at xsite. Amy Dover joined us at the beginning of the month and will be with us for 3 months. She is working on new illustrations and prints of her own and will also be getting involved in some projects with xsite. We are very glad to have her and her collection of taxidermy livening up a little corner of our studios.

Amy's work is beautifully executed pencil illustrations of man, beast and bird, often dark and macabre in nature. She is inspired by music, poetry and folklore and tackles subjects like death, humiliation and deceit. You can see more of her work on her website http://www.amydover.com/Home.html

Toffee Factory has Colour!

Today's xsite is Mal...

The Toffee Factory is now 2 months from handover and the external envelope it almost complete.  Green, red and pink cladding panels now adorn the Victorian brickwork and the embossed aluminium will shortly be applied to the stair tower.   Inside, partitions are up and offices formed, the reception space is taking shape and the Biomass boiler is in. 

For info on letting a space in the completed building visit www.toffeefactory.co.uk 

Changemaker

Today's xsite is Tim...

xsite have been awarded the chance to work with a Changemaker.

In short this a young person between 16 – 25 years old who is interested in developing leadership skills and working on a project in the Ouseburn with xsite over a period of six months.

We need to nominate three people to be considered for this by September 12^th and we are keen that they are local, enthusiastic and willing to be challenged.  It represents a really exciting opportunity if you want to know more look at www.changemakers.org.uk for what might be expected of you and  www.xsitearchitecture.co.uk for who we are.  If you want to talk about it please contact Tim Bailey by email tim@xsitearchitecture.co.uk  call on 0191 287 2161.

Invisible Architectures Festival

Today's xsite is Anna...

Earlier this year, xsite hosted Will Schrimshaw, an artist-researcher, for a 3-month 'Creative Residency'.  Will’s work focuses on environmental interaction and the invisible determinants of space and place. His current project examines the ‘invisible architectures’ and subliminal layers of the city. 

This project presented a great opportunity for Will and xsite to work together and the result is a 3-day festival that will take place in September called ‘Invisible Architectures’.  The festival will explore the invisible yet influential substrates of urban existence. Artists, architects and writers will explore the subtle, subliminal invisible layers of the city through guided tours, workshops, films showing at the Tyneside Cinema and participatory events.

Working with the artist, xsite have designed a temporary pavilion, to be located at Grey’s Monument, that will act as a base for the festival, an information point for visitors and a starting point for guided tours.

‘Invisible Architectures‘ will take place at and around Grey’s Monument, Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 9th – 11th September 2011.

For more information visit http://subliminalcity.co.uk/ and http://willschrimshaw.net/

Enchanted Chicken Coop

Today's xsite is Anna...

One of our installations from last year's Enchanted Parks has found itself a new home, in the form of a chicken coop. xsite's first chicken related architecture...

'There was a House in the Woods' had been sitting unused for too long, so we decided to donate it to a worthy cause. Resulting in the chickens of the Ouseburn Farm finding themselves with a new house. They were all lounging around quite at home when I went to visit...

Toffee Factory Site Visit

Today's xsite is Mal...

Foundry Lane Studios descended, en masse, on the Toffee Factory site on Friday lunchtime as a prelude to our summer BBQ.  The scaffolding is largely down on Glasshouse Bridge revealing the new brickwork elevations in all their corbelled glory.  The Sedum roof is planted (though it’s not too green as yet, the recent weather should give it a good kick-start...) and both stairs and first floor link bridge are in.  A sample of the embossed aluminium cladding for the stair tower has arrived and it looks fantastic!

Colin Booth - Institute of Play

Today's xsite is Anna...

'Institute of Play' an installation by Colin Booth is currently showing at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, until the 2nd October 2011. Three different pieces are on show 'Institute of Play', 'Colony' and 'Streamline'. Beautifully crafted building blocks of different timbers form three different elements within the main exhibition room. Building blocks have historically had an important part in shaping the role of creative play. The act of building has inspired many sculptors, designers and architects. Architecture, particulary modernist architecture, is an important element in Colin Booth's work.

In partnership with us at xsite architecture, and Virtual NewcastleGateshead, a space has been created in a room next to the exhibition, where visitors can design their own moderist buildings using the computers provided. There is an exhibition of modernist buildings of Newcastle put together by xsite. There is also a huge floor mat of wooden building blocks to get to work with and a display of some beautiful Architectural Construction Toys. It is very much worth a visit...

Tim Bailey of xsite will be doing a public walkthough of the exhibition on Wednesday 20th July from 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Sea view

Today's xsite is Anna...

We have just received new photographs by Jill Tate Photography of a private house project that was complete in Autumn last year. The house belongs to a private client, who wanted to utilise their views of the sea and create an open and contemporary family home.