Member Article

£29m plans approved to further Newcastle Science Central success

Newcastle Science Central’s plans to develop a new, £29m Learning and Teaching Centre on have been given the go ahead.

Located in Newcastle’s city centre, Science Central is a 24-acre science and technology hub based on Newcastle Brown Ale’s former brewery site.

The new Centre will seat 750 people in the auditorium and 200 more in a collaborative lecture theatre on the ground floor, plus a range of seminar rooms on upper floors.

Designed by London architecture leader Sheppard Robson, the building features a sweeping curve designed to visually connect two public spaces that are adjacent to the project, and sit within the Science Central masterplan.

The curve is formed of a ‘Learning Arc’ that is positioned around the triangular form of a flexible auditorium, according to the designers.

On the ground floor plan, an internal street mediates between the more formal, focused spaces of the auditorium and the social, interactive spaces in the Learning Arc.

The latter includes an exhibition space and café for more informal working, addressing the University’s mission to provide a range of collaborative learning and social spaces. Directly above this are three storeys of learning facilities, including office accommodation for the University’s Business School.

The auditorium uses a cladding system inspired by the Newcastle-born mathematician Louis Fry Richardson whose pioneering work defined modern methods of weather forecasting.

Fry Richardson’s work, which sub-divided the planet into hexagonal zones, has been expressed in expanded aluminum mesh on the external elevations of the auditorium.

Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University, said: “Newcastle University is committed to continue to invest in quality facilities to deliver an outstanding student experience and excellent environment for our students’ learning, teaching and research, as well as their personal and professional development.

“The Learning and Teaching Centre will go a long way towards helping to achieve these goals and helping us to provide excellent opportunities to our students.

“The Learning and Teaching Centre will feature state-of-the art learning facilities for up to 2,200 students across three floors. The centre will also provide exhibition space, café and expansive social learning spaces. Its oyster shell shape, with a dynamic sweeping glazed curve is a reference to the centre’s location on Oystershell Lane and reflects the history of the site.”