Member Article

North East architects appointed to £1.3 million Tyneside Cinema project

Development work on Newcastle’s much loved Tyneside Cinema has moved on apace, with the appointment of one of the region’s leading architectural practices to deliver a £1.3 million project.

Award-winning xsite architecture is continuing its involvement with the Tyneside Cinema to expand its classic art deco offering by creating an intimate 40-seater digital video art gallery and cinema.

A vibrant new Bar Café is also to be developed within attached premises which front onto Pilgrim Street and originally housed The Silk Shop when the Newcastle News Theatre as it was then called, was first built in 1937.

Initially xsite was appointed to undertake a feasibility study and submit the scheme for planning and after a re-tendering process was awarded a second appointment to deliver the redevelopment work.

Xsite’s first task is to reunite the original building, in cultural terms, with the Tyneside Cinema by creating a new Bar Café, which will be chic in appearance and will be designed so that it is clearly part of the Tyneside Cinema – in essence, not just a bar. It will also incorporate a separate area where it will be possible to relax with a drink in cabaret style seating while watching a movie, similar to the Roxy Bar and Screen in London.

The creation of the new leisure venue at ground floor level will mean that the bar currently on the third floor will no longer be needed and this leaves space for the second part of xsite’s work, which is to design a multi-function space which will be unique to the region.

Used to host film and video installation pieces during the day, at night it will be transformed to give the cinema a highly prized fourth screen, which will allow the cinema to show longer runs of feature films and give audiences more chances to see some of the best films from around the world.

As the cinema screen is black and the gallery is to be white – this is the creative challenge which xsite is required to deliver in this one space.

According to xsite’s Tim Bailey, these latest works will provide something different to that offered by other leisure venues in the region, or for that matter, across the UK. As funding for the arts and charities gets tougher to find, Tyneside Cinema is working hard to stand on its own two feet. This redevelopment will allow the Cinema to diversify its offer for the public and create spaces through which it can earn more trading income and support its work as a charity. Speaking about this latest appointment, he said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have such a key role in this latest phase of the Tyneside Cinema’s expansion and evolution. The building has been in existence since 1937 and is a fine example of the art deco period. We will be taking the venue to another level without losing sight of its heritage, yet at the same time, building on the cinema’s reputation as a contemporary destination for discerning visitors.

“To create two spaces, each with two significantly different uses, is definitely a challenge which I believe requires a complete understanding of the user experience in all its guises, coupled with some clever thinking on our part to make full use of the space. I believe once this work is complete it will further set the cinema apart from those of the larger chain operators whilst widening the existing customer base.”

Mark Dobson, chief executive of Tyneside Cinema said:

“We are thrilled to be working with xsite architecture again on this project. The creation of the Cinema’s Intermezzo Café back in 2000 was xsite’s first job and it has gone on to be a tremendous success. They beat off very strong competition for this job and it was the practice’s passion for arts and culture, alongside their exemplary track record in creating stylish food and drink spaces, which really pushed them to the fore.”

Work on the redevelopment will start later this year and will cost a total of £1.3 million. With funding of £1.2 million in place from trusts and foundations, in September 2013 the Cinema launched the Tyneside Appeal to raise the remaining £100,000 needed to complete the project.

The Cinema has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the public so far, who have already raised more than £68,000, in addition to support from Arts Council England, the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, The Charles Hayward Foundation, the Foyle Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, The Stuart Halbert Foundation and Newcastle City Council. To make a donation to the Tyneside Appeal now, please go to www.justgiving.com/Tyneside-Cinema-Appeal.

The Tyneside Appeal 2013/14 is sponsored by Muckle LLP.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Leigh Chelton .