A weary 1930s warehouse in Newcastle upon Tyne has been given a new lease of life. It was used for storing sets by the former owner Tyne Tees TV, before being purchased by the present owner who commissioned us to convert it into IT equipped, speculative office/studio space.

Before refurbishment the exterior was a mess, with various openings blocked up and punched through brickwork walls and cracked stucco on the main City Road elevation. To unify the exterior we rendered the entire exterior and painted the front façade part cream, part greenish blue. Inside the building the brickwork has been left exposed, along with the old roof beams, in keeping with the building's industrial past.

A new vertical window opening was introduced on the front and an existing opening on the west elevation enlarged to create a double height entrance hall.

The biggest intervention was the installation of a new mezzanine floor supported on a light, exposed metal frame, which cantilevers out towards the eaves, threaded through the roof trusses in places.

Winner of:
Lord Mayor's Design Award 2001
RIBA Hadrian Award 2001
Civic Trust Commendation 2000