Vaux site’s new landmark ‘more than just a building’
ARCHITECT SIMON OUTLINES VISION FOR PRESTIGIOUS CITY CENTRE PLOT
The man behind the first new building on Sunderland’s former Vaux brewery site has outlined his vision for the future.
Simon Doody has designed high-profile buildings across the globe but there says there is’s something special about Sunderland’s newest landmark, The Beam.
Simon’s practice, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, has designed the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, re-purposed London’s Alexandra Palace as well as the South Bank Centre, and designed a number of offices, including the National Trust headquarters in Swindon.
But it is The Beam he believes could have ‘the largest social and regeneration impact yet’.
Standing four storeys high, the building is set to be the North East’s only new city centre office development to complete this year and is the first phase of the city’s largest regeneration project in decades.
The £20million building will provide mixed-use Grade A office space in the heart of the city, and will include two ground-floor open-plan highly flexible spaces which will accommodate retail or leisure enterprises overlooking the River Wear and Wearmouth Bridge.
It is hoped the building will capitalise on the city’s growing reputation as a place to do business, after it was singled out as one of the best places in the UK to start up an enterprise.
“As a practice, we work across a range of sectors from healthcare to residential, education to cultural, and from new build to creative use, but I think if you’re looking at projects that are real catalysts for redevelopment, then this is one of our most significant,” said Simon.
“When you look at the possibilities of the wider Vaux site, not just this project, the benefits and the opportunities that the city will reap are immense. It’s a major regeneration project which, once complete, will extend the footprint of the city centre, create thousands of jobs and also spawn high-quality leisure, retail and housing developments which will transform the city’s offering.”
Once work is completed in the spring, The Beam will accommodate businesses looking for contemporary working environments from as little as 2,500 sq ft (a 20-person office) up to the entire floorspace, meaning the building could be home to anywhere from one to a dozen businesses.
It was not just the economic impact which caught Simon’s eye, but also the creative freedom he was given when designing the building and the rich heritage of the city and its people from which he could draw inspiration.
“A lot of people probably won’t notice this at first glance,” he said.
“However, The Beam has been meticulously designed to pay homage to the city’s culture, from the Wearmouth Bridge to the city’s maritime and lighting heritage.
“The first thing we considered was the position of the building and its proximity to the bridge.
“The bridge is built on these glorious Victorian structures and, coupled with its heavyweight girders and trusses, this informed how we started to think about the front of the building which looks out over the Keel Line.
“Another key influencer was the site’s shipbuilding heritage which inspired the horizontal ribbon windows which, because of how they’re designed, boast stunning panoramas with breathtaking views of the sea, the port, the lighthouse, the stadium and the newly-erected Northern Spire.
“Then, as we considered the colour of the building, we looked at the brass and bronze castings used in maritime metalwork – and also the vats and vessels used in the brewing processes at the old Vaux Brewery – and we wanted to bring that through with the warm, bronzey colour materials which have been used in the external facade.
“As an architect, I’m a firm believer that buildings should be locked into context and that members of the public feel some sort of synergy and ownership of them. It’s important that people feel a connection with their city and I hope The Beam echoes this notion.”
Developer Siglion has developed a masterplan that will deliver spaces with wellbeing at their heart, in which people can ‘live well, work well and feel good’.
The Beam’s position on the edge of the river gives stunning views, and floods the building with natural light, while the internal courtyard allows natural ventilations.
The links between the site and the seaside is also a major asset that Siglion hopes will prove attractive to investors, as well as building’s position in the city centre, with easy access to the city’s cultural and leisure venues.
Siglion has also brought in a number of local businesses