Homes by the Sea

A house in Whitley Bay which we worked on will be featured on Homes by the Sea on More 4 this Thursday 9pm. For more information on the project you can also check out our website at http://www.xsitearchitecture.co.uk/portfolio/resi/the-links/index.htm

Lower Steenberg's Yard Consultation Event

A public exhibition and consulation event for the Lower Steenberg's Yard redevelopment is now on. You can check out the boards at the Toffee Factory, our reception here at Foundry Lane Studios and Ernest until Wednesday12th November. Alternatively, visit  www.ouseburn-dev.co.uk and click through to the Commonplace link to review the proposals and comment online. Online access will continue to be available after 12th November.

Design Junction

Today's xsite is Robin...

xsite has been involved in the design and construction of a stand showcasing North-East furniture designers for London's Design Junction event.

The event, taking place between the 18th and 21st September, is held in the former post Sorting Office on New Oxford Street, and presents a 'powerful line-up of renowned international brands, smaller cutting-edge labels, pop-up shops, large-scale installations, eateries, flash factories, seminars and screenings across three floors of the impressive 120,000 sq ft venue'.

The stand, designed and coordinated in conjunction with Design Event, features an internally illuminated cuboid plinth manufactured from Valchromat, and a series of boxes and mini plinths finished in matching blue to present the individual furniture and lighting pieces.

Construction took place yesterday, with the dressing occurring today ready for the opening tomorrow. We think it looks great, check it out if you happen to be in the area!

Visit: thedesignjunction.co.uk
www.design-event.co.uk

Ouseburn DIY Streets- Street Trial!

The DIY Streets team have been busy working on some design ideas for Stepney Road, Stepney Bank and Lime Street to improve pedestrian and cycle amenity in the Ouseburn. The Ouseburn Futures group manage this project, with lots of support from sustrans, Malings developer Igloo and local businesses xsite architecture, Roots And Wings and The Cycle Hub.

There is a street trial happening this Sunday as part of the Ouseburn festival consisting of temporary paint to the roadway to give an indication of the proposed interventions. Hopefully this will give everyone a good understanding of how the designs could work. There will be a further street trial for the one way street down Stepney Bank- stay tuned for further details on this.

Alongside the street trials DIY Streets will have a gazebo set up next to Seven Stories with presentation boards for the design- come on down and check it out. The designs are a work in progress so we would welcome any feedback you have on the proposals. Following the trials and community and business feedback, xsite will be working up final design proposals, to be delivered by the council by March 2015.

Ainsley Street Student Accommodation

Ainsley Street Student Accommodation, now known as The Village @ The Viaduct is really starting to take shape. The scaffold is now down on Block 3- here's some initial (unwashed) glimpses of the finished product.

DIY Streets for the Ouseburn

Today's xsite is Nita...

DIY Streets is an initiative by Sustrans that provides funding for communities who want to improve their local streets, with an emphasis on sustainable travel such as cycling, walking and public transport. xsite are helping facilitate DIY streets scheme for the Ouseburn Valley, alongside the Ouseburn Futures group. Newcastle City Council Highways department are also involved in the process, in order to ensure that any initiatives work in tandem with the Council’s own schemes for the valley. As a business based in the valley and general Ouseburn fans we’re delighted to be part of this process.

An initial workshop at Ernest and a survey of over 100 people and businesses in the area was conducted to determine what issues were most pressing and which streets most in need of improvement. From this there was a broad consensus that Lime Street, Stepney Bank, Stepney Road and Shieldfield Lane would be the most appropriate streets for a pilot DIY Streets scheme. Further open workshops to discuss these streets were advertised to local businesses via a flyer drop and social media.

xsite led 2 workshops with interested parties at the Ouseburn Farm on 19^th and 21^st of May this week, to establish a brief for the DIY Streets works. These consisted of a walk around the streets with the group followed by discussion in groups around plans of the streets with ideas and priorities noted.

There were loads of great ideas put forward at the workshops. xsite now have the task of distilling this into some design proposals for further consultation around mid June. For more information visit the Ouseburn Futures website at http://ouseburnfutures.org.uk/

Arborescent

Today's xsite is Neringa...

Last Saturday xsite were braving the wilderness.

The Arborescent project lead by the talented Ed Carter promised 3 unique musical performances in an extraordinary setting – Kielder forest. xsite were asked to compose one of the graphic scores – a visual piece of music that was yet to be invented by musicians playing glass percussion instruments, a tuba and a trumpet.

In our piece, we asked the audience to take part by wandering into the forest and reading the symbols left on trees to be deciphered according to one’s own reason. Such conscious meandering made for a strange exhibition of sound where music, sometimes resembling a distant sound of a wild predator, travelled closer and further as if trying to influence one’s reason.

The sound was moving and the venue was uncanny.

We couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable cultural weekend out in nature and judging from great comments after the event – the participants felt the same.

We're recruiting again!

Today's xsite is Anna...

We are currently looking to recruit Architects, Architectural Assistants and Architectural Technologists for our Newcastle studio.

We have an excellent crop of work in prospect and we will need good, self motivated experience with sound technical skills, good organisation and a healthy dash of creative flair. 

Please email your CV to Tim Bailey tim@xsitearchitecture.co.uk explaining both what you can offer us and what we can offer you. There isn't a closing date so the sooner you contact us the better as we are looking for the right people to start as soon as possible.

Great North Passion

Today's xsite is Anna...

A few shots of the containers in place in the sunshine!

BBC Great North Passion takes shape

Today's xsite is Robin...

xsite have recently been involved as the Site Engineer for the setting out, levelling and installation of 64no shipping containers, arranged to form a giant (122m long) cruciform shaped outdoor concert for the BBC's Great North Passion. The event, due to take place on Good Friday, will play host to 7,000 people, with a 1,000 strong choir and a cornucopia of outreach art projects, mini stages and surrounding activities!

DATbar Newcastle

Today's xsite is Adrian...

Launched last month DATBAR is the latest in a series of projects xsite have completed for the De Giorgi family stretching back more than 10 years now and including some of the best loved venues in Newcastle. A craft beer / pizza / burger joint sat in the ground floor of the grade 1 listed Theatre Royal building, the interior is a collaboration with the super talented boys at Dirty Hands co  www.dirtyhandsco.com . Formerly Pasqualinos restaurant, the fit out set about providing a physical separation from the Theatre itself and a strong new identity focused on the food and beer and driven by Dirty Hands’ signature graphic work and illustration applied to a Vintage Industrial backdrop. Go get a beer, share a burger and take a look.      

Work starts at the Tyneside Cinema

Today's xsite is Anna...

Work has begun at the Tyneside Cinema on a new project to create an intimate 40-seater digital video art gallery and cinema, as well as a vibrant new bar café that fronts onto Pilgrim Street. The new bar will incorporate an area for customers to enjoy a drink and food in cabaret-style seating while watching films.

The bar currently on the third floor will no longer be needed, leaving room for a multi-function space that will be used to host film and video gallery installation pieces during the day, while offering a fourth screen at night.