Member Article

Talk by Architects about Live Theatre’s exciting new Quayside Development

Architects Flanagan Lawrence will give a public talk at 6pm on Thursday 4 September at Live Theatre about their designs for Live Theatre’s new Quayside Development. The development includes a new commercial office building completing the gap in the Newcastle Quayside facade, and a new public park and performance space, and will transform an existing 19th century alms house into a children and young people’s writing centre.

Jim Beirne, Live Theatre’s Chief Executive and Stephen Gilmartin of Flanagan Lawrence architects will share the plans for this exciting new development and explain how it will continue to benefit Live Theatre into the future. The presentation will be followed by the opportunity to ask questions.

LiveWorks is new £10 million capital scheme by Live Theatre, who purchased Quayside frontage and land and buildings adjacent to the theatre in February 2014. Live Theatre was granted planning consent and listed building consent for the development by unanimous decision at Newcastle City Council Planning Committee in June 2014. The proposals were praised in terms of their urban benefits of providing a new public realm, children’s writing centre and outdoor performance space; the architectural design’s sensitivity and response to the context; and also the response to and enlivening the setting to the historic almshouses. A six week archaeological survey revealed mediaeval terraces built to push back the river and reclaim land on the Quayside, post mediaeval cellars of Quayside buildings along with many fragments of pottery.

Building work will start shortly on the site. Once complete, LiveWorks will create new revenue streams for the core creative and educational work of Live Theatre, building resilience for the Theatre for the future, and transforming the Quayside.

Jason Flanagan, of Flanagan Lawrence architects said:

“LiveWorks provides us as architects with a remarkable opportunity: to create a new public park and outdoor performance space for Live Theatre and a children and young people’s writing centre. The public park is framed by historic Georgian alms houses and Quayside warehouses. The new building inserted into Newcastle Quayside links the Quayside and the public park by maintaining and widening public access through Trinity Chare. The new office building with its sandstone facade on the Quayside completes the gap in the river frontage which has been empty for a century.”

Jim Beirne, Chief Executive, Live Theatre said:

“Once complete LiveWorks will provide many future opportunities for businesses, artists, children and young people. The project will also help to secure an income for the core work of Live Theatre into the future.“

Paul Callaghan, Chair, Live Theatre and Chair of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, added;

“This wonderful project is not just significant for Live Theatre but also for Newcastle and Gateshead as a whole. It will be an amazing place for people of all ages, but particularly for children and young people. This key site has stood empty for too long and we are delighted that we are going to be able to transform it into something so special.”

Flanagan Lawrence is an award-winning, design-led architectural practice based in London and lead architect Jason Flanagan was Project Director for the design of Sage Gateshead. The practice worked across a broad range of sectors and building types, including large-scale commercial projects and high-end residential schemes, as well as cultural, hotel and leisure, education, infrastructure, logistics, business parks and major masterplanning projects both in the UK and internationally. Their public sector work has included performance space as well as office space and regeneration schemes. Clients have included the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Sadler’s Wells Theatre Trust, Sage Gateshead, as well as tertiary education client bodies such as Magdalen College, Oxford, Imperial College, London and Brunel University.

The public talk will also include the opportunity to see samples of stone and brick to be used in the project and further information on the timeline for the construction. The project team confirmed so far include Flanagan Lawrence as lead architects, Brims Construction as preferred contractor engaged through a two stage design and build procurement process, CK21 as structure and civil engineers, Avoca-CE as mechanical and electrical engineers, Hedley Planning as town planners, Turner Townsend as cost managers, Oobe as landscape designers and Michael Grubb Studio as lighting consultants.

The purchase of the land and buildings and the development of the site has been supported by a loan of £6 million from Newcastle City Council and a £1.73 million grant from the North East European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme 2007 to 2013.

Live Theatre is a national leader in developing new strategies for developing income and assets for the charity. LiveWorks will join The Broad Chare pub, online playwriting course www.beaplaywright.com and The Schoolhouse, office space for creative and digital businesses, as one of Live Theatre’s capital and digital creative enterprises, increasing its future income through additional new unrestricted funds.

Introducing LiveWorks talk takes place from 6pm to 7.15pm in Live Theatre’s Studio Theatre. Tickets are free, but places are limited so pre-booking is essential. Tickets and more information are available from Live Theatre’s box office in person or by phone on (0191) 232 1232 or online at www.live.org.uk, where a short film about the project can be seen. Ticket holders are advised to leave extra time as access and parking on the Quayside will be limited due to the Great North Run Opening Ceremony taking place later that evening.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Live Theatre .