Victory in BCO Awards!

Today's xsite is Robin...

The Fabrick Office project was last night victorious in the BCO North Awards: Best Fit Out of Workplace. Everyone involved is delighted, and it is great to get official recognition for what we think is a great scheme!

Apparently the rivals included Media City, ITV, Northern Rail, Manchester Airport & 1 Angel Sq, so pretty impressive competition!

The scheme will automatically go forward for the National Awards.

Victory in BIM Competition!

Today's xsite is Robin...

xsite were recently victorious in the Design and BIM competition North East Byker as part of the Summers Inman Team. This one day event involved five teams preparing fictional proposals for a Community Hub at the City Stadium, Byker.

Each team featured a full design group including Architects, Structural Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Project Managers, Cost Consultants and Contractors, as well as specialist advice on BIM software and data sharing systems.

Proposals were prepared in an intense collaborative environment using BIM (Building Information Modelling) software and using the tools available to coordinate and output a broad set of information about the design, structure, services, clash detection, costing, construction process and lifecycle costing.

Starting with a simple sketch design, our team developed a detailed model which included a full structural design, mechanical services, detailed costings and construction animation. Seven iterations of the model were prepared up to the 5pm deadline, and visualisations were prepared from the system to describe the proposals.

 

 

In Praise of Shadows

Today's xsite is Anna...

We are very pleased to be involved with Nicola Singh and her upcoming project In Praise of Shadows, taking place on the 18th April. Set in the beautiful Charlton Bonds building on Waterloo Street, it is a performance that explores the way we interact with, create and are affected by the architecture of our cities.  Tickets are now on sale and you can read more about the project below. Hopefully see you there!

Thursday 18th April, Charlton Bonds, 18 Waterloo Street, Newcastle, NE1 4DE
Tickets: £8.50 includes limited edition print
Book Here

In Praise of Shadows invites an audience to explore how architectural sites can shape, and be captured by sound.

In a building in Newcastle’s city centre that has been empty for almost 8 years, a meter-diameter hole has been cut out between two floors. An entirely acoustic performance of experimental music will take place across this hole, with the audience seated on the ground floor and performers on the first.

Some of the UK’s most well-respected and exciting musicians will perform strings, brass, woodwind and percussion alongside choral and solo vocals, exploring the full range of sonic possibilities of this altered space. Musicians include Rhodri Davies, Paul Dunmall, Chris Greive, Impossibility Knox (Gwilly Edmondez and Greta Buitkute), Mark Sanders, Nicola Singh and Sue Tompkins. Following the performances, Tim Bailey, partner at xsite architecture, will expand upon ideas of acoustics and their space in architectural practice in a brief lecture.

In Praise of Shadows is first in a series of ambitious new projects by Nicola Singh that explore the ways in which we interact with, create and are affected by the architecture of our cities. In Praise of Shadows is commissioned by Wunderbar and produced in partnership with xsite architecture.

  

Rivers House

Today's xsite is Robin...

Our office fitout project at Rivers House, in Middlesbrough, is approaching completion. Following on from the 2 Hudson Quay project for the same Client, Fabrick Housing, this fitout features a new customer contact centre for the housing association, a totally revamped reception area, lettings and interview rooms, and office space for 93 staff members.  

The design for the office space is influenced by the stages of the River Tees, and features a palette of materials and colours which reflect specific locations of the river.  Large scale photographs taken by staff members are to be printed onto storage walls, and the colours of the furniture have been selected by the theme for each area. 

 

 

Ouse Street Arts Club

Today's xsite is Anna...

We're the the process of curating Ouse Street Arts Club full of exciting events for 2013. Last year saw an architectural Summer School, an Art Mart, a cinema, Grazer Supperclubs and a few different exhibitions.

Building on this for the coming year, we already have plans for a temporary games arcade as part of The Late Shows, a pop-up sewing cafe, more exciting Supperclubs, exhibition launches, The Northern Design Festival and Ouseburn Open Studios...

If you are interested in using the space for an event or exhibition please get in touch. 

You can email using anna@xsitearchitecture.co.uk or ousestartsclub@gmail.com

http://ousestreetartsclub.wordpress.com/

 

 

Short Listed...

Today's xsite is Richard...

Through heavy discussion and a shaky understanding of timescales but with a cracking idea, myself (xsite) and a couple of friends Nicholas Bastow (FaulknerBrowns) and Joseph Goodwin (POD) have successfully reached the short-listing stage of an international competition. 

Run by Trimo and called Trimo Urban Crash, the brief was to design a sustainable bicycle hub on a site next to one of Ljubljana’s (Slovenia) busiest cycle routes. The brief desired a stop-off cafe, bicycle repair station and wi-fi hot spot. Our design emerged to provide these services whilst also suggesting a ‘pop-up’ screening space and performance area on the roof. 

We are really excited about our project and I would like to ask anyone interested to take a moment and vote for our project 20436. The link is below. The winning entry receives the honour of having their design constructed later this year, which is an amazing opportunity for three budding architects. So please take the time, and support a design borne in Newcastle to achieve recognition and realisation in the beautiful city of Ljubljana. 

http://www.trimo-urbancrash.com/project-gallery 

Redcar Palace Hub

Today's xsite is Nita...

The Palace Hub is now tantalisingly close to completion, and looking good. The management team and first tenants moved in a week ago, and more are moving in every week. The site is buzzing with activity right now, we’ll post more photos after the dust has settled!

New Girl!

Today's xsite is Anna...

xsite have recently been joined by Zoë Hayes. Zoe started with us in January, having relocated to Newcastle from London where she had been living and working for 5 years. Originally from Ireland, she studied at University College Dublin and KTH Stockholm before graduating in 2007. Zoë has experience on a range of projects across the residential, commercial and transport sectors, with construction budgets ranging from £50k to £400 million.

In her spare time she enjoys going to the theatre, eating out, drinking Guinness (embracing the stereotype), photography and art. She is also currently fostering the notion that she might one day like to play roller derby for the Newcastle Roller Girls.

Website

Today's xsite is Anna...

We have been updating the website with recently finished jobs and new people... If you haven't had a look recently mosey on over for a browse...

www.xsitearchitecture.co.uk

Highlights of 2012

Today's xsite is Anna...

So we are coming to the end of another busy year here at xsite. We have seen a few projects come to completion, more start, some new faces and a whole new venue open...

There was a little bit of a coffee theme to start the year with the completion of 9Bar cafe on Grey Street, part of the Theatre Royal; and the opening of the Ouseburn Coffee Company roastery within our own Foundry Lane Studios. If you haven’t investigated either of them yet you are missing out.

It was a busy year for awards with the Toffee Factory scooping lots of prestigious prizes including The RIBA Award 2012, North East Sustainable Building and North East Project of the Year 2012, RICS Best Commercial Building and Project of the Year 2012, RTPI Regional Award Winner 2012.

The Fabrick Housing Offices came to completion in September; an office fit out for the social housing provider in Middlehaven, Middlesbrough, full of honey pots, upturned boats, beach huts and copper tea sheds. We’re very proud of how it has turned out.

Small fit out projects at The Cycle Hub on the Quayside and Poetic Gem in Hoults Yard both opened. Ouse Street Arts Club, our meanwhile project in 2 shipping containers, in the Lower Ouseburn finally opened. It provides creative event space in the valley and has so far been part of the Late Shows and Ouseburn Open Studios, as well as hosting some supperclubs, our Summer School crits, exhibitions and a cinema. We have launched the Ouseburn Social this year too so watch this space for future events throughout 2013.

On site we have more to look forward to throughout 2013, with work due to finish at Dovecot Street creative offices in January, the Palace Hub in Redcar completing in February, Green Lane student accommodation in Durham completing in July. Work continues at Rivers House office fit out and Planning has just been granted for another student accommodation scheme at Ainsley Street in Durham. Work is also starting on a planning application for a new incubator workspace in Middlesbrough.

Thanks to everyone we have collaborated with this year, here’s to more of the same for 2013...