_space group and Children North East paint Newcastle pink

Newcastle architects _space group have donated almost £16,000 to regional children’s charity, Children North East, thanks to fundraising at their annual charity event, the Think Pink Ball.

The event, held at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel in Newcastle, saw over 200 guests come together to raise a total of £15,755 through table bookings, a charity auction and private donations.

Money raised at the ball will be used to support young people and families who are suffering from the effects of poverty and neglect, with a portion going to support Hill Court, temporary accommodation where Children North East supports children and their parents who are homeless or fleeing from unfortunate circumstances.

Jeremy Cripps, Chief Executive, Children North East, said: “We are extremely grateful to _space group for once again supporting our important work ensuring that children and young people enjoy a good childhood and fulfil their potential no matter how poor their family circumstances are; and to help families move quickly through crises such as homelessness to re-establish themselves.”

The charity auction, which saw prizes including a Newcastle United match day experience, donated by David Smailes of Morgan Sindall and a charity golf day with Ant and Dec, sourced by Janet Richardson, raised £3,750 for the good cause.

Rob Charlton, chief executive, _space group, said: “In the current climate, encouraging people to donate to charity is an uphill struggle, and we have found this is doubly so when looking at our own industry. So for us, being able to have the support of 220 guests at the Think Pink Ball, some from large construction companies, was heartwarming and a wonderful expression of peoples’ desire to help, no matter how hard times are.

“We wouldn’t have been able to make the Think Pink Ball the success it was if we hadn’t been given support and time from individuals who made it their responsibility to be involved with this cause. For example, Janet Richardson, wife of Children North East trustee Stephen Richardson, who was able to encourage prize donations from across the region. We’re so grateful to everyone who has supported us and hope that we can continue to work with Children North East in the future.”

_space group has worked with Children North East since 2007, and has raised in excess of £50,000 for the charity, thanks to donations from the Think Pink Ball, sponsored participation in the Great North Run and regular staff donations.

_space group is 'Revited' to the top spot

Architectural firm _space group is celebrating after becoming the single most professionally certified BIM (Building Information Modelling) delivery organisation in the UK.

The firm has just seen nine members of its team awarded with 3D design and engineering global software company Autodesk’s Revit Architecture 2011 Professional Certification, giving it 19 out of 43 certified professionals in the UK.

_space group, who specialise in integrated BIM design, have been leading the way on the process, which allows architects to design 3D models virtually and therefore reduce time on site, margin for errors and overall scheme costs, for almost a decade, choosing to utilise the Revit software program to do so.

The firm’s pioneering work in the field of BIM includes peer to peer seminars and one to one sessions with figureheads in the construction industry. _space group’s dedicated team of BIM-lovers have also set up a free and unique online resource – www.bimstore.co.uk – which supplies reliable, consistent, high quality components from manufacturers for designers.

Seeing how a scheme will look before a spade even hits the ground: a Revit model of _space group scheme, West Hull Primary Learning Village.

Rob Charlton, _space group’s chief executive, said: “_space group’s ethos is to think differently. BIM technology was being pioneered by Autodesk many years ago, and once we found out about it and started to understand its applications across the construction industry, we realised how useful it would prove for delivering schemes, and how we can use it to benefit clients by delivering schemes using more thought, and creating less waste.

“Paul Morrell, the government’s chief construction advisor, has publically advocated BIM, and is intending to place it at the heart of the public procurement process. He will be recommending it is used on all public projects worth £5m or more, which means that this technology is going to become a vital part of the way we operate as an industry.”

_space group’s BIM leader, James Austin, has been working with the company as an architect since 2005 and delivered the company’s first project that made use of BIM, a secondary school in Washington under the BSF scheme.

James said: “I’ve been interested in the area of digital craft, the use of the computer as a manipulation tool, since university and I’ve paid close attention to how this affects the architecture industry. When I was working on Washington School, I was responsible for looking at the benefits of using BIM as the delivery system, and I was able to combine professional and personal interests.

“_space group saw how I embraced the process, its uses, and understood how that change has benefitted me and how it could benefit the company. They’ve invested the time in me and allowed me to grow and develop this within the company, creating my current role for me. When I suggested that we train up our workforce to be skilled BIM users, they were firmly behind the commitment, which I think shows a great investment in our own resources.”

Rob added: “We are a company that believes heavily in investing in people, and the commitment that James and the rest of our team has shown in obtaining these additional qualifications is really heartening. While having the most Autodesk Revit certified professionals in the UK is an accolade for our company, I find the dedication of our team to furthering their knowledge, and wanting to be the best that they can be, is the true accolade, and a mark of the respect they have for us.”

_space to be EXCEPTIONAL in Durham!

Newcastle-based architects _space group have been awarded the highest environmental assessment accolade possible on a scheme that will change the face of Durham City.

The education architects have secured a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) ‘Excellent’ rating for the £32m Durham University Gateway project, which is currently on site on the city’s Stockton Road.

The project, which sits within a World Heritage Site, comprises the design for a new flagship building to accommodate the internationally renowned Durham Law School, and the Palatine Centre housing student services, professional support services and a catering outlet. The project also includes a major extension to the Main Library.

A visualisation of the new flagship Durham Gateway building, due to be completed next year

Trevor Armour, deputy director (projects), estates and buildings, Durham University, said: “We’ve been working closely with _space group since 2008 to ensure that we create a building that makes the most of current sustainability practices and is a fitting piece of architecture for the estate and the city landscape.

“For the Palatine building to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating at this stage is a great indicator that we are on track to accomplish our goals. The Palatine building represents a significant investment in both the University estate and the City of Durham and we are very satisfied with the work _space group has done so far. We are keen that the finished Palatine building will be an iconic part of the university, embracing 21^st century design standards.”

_space group is also responsible for the landscape design strategy for the Science Site campus that surrounds the Gateway project. Plans include the pedestrianisation of the Science Site, creation of new site gateways and public ‘heartspace’ in front of the Main Library. A new and vibrant pedestrian and cycle friendly public realm will be created, rich in public art, specimen tree planting and generous landscaping.

Andrew Grounsell, associate director, _space group, said: “Our company philosophy is to create sustainable communities in the regions in which we are based. While we have offices across the North, we have a long history in the North East and to be able to make a positive change in the city of Durham is very rewarding.

“Our work is underpinned by green thinking at every turn, and the Gateway project is no exception. Working with the concept architects, ph partnership, we have incorporated a number of features such as natural ventilation, solar shading, solar collectors, photovoltaics and sedum roofs, and we have selected eco-friendly materials at every turn.

“Our goal is not only to deliver a building that is iconic and sensitive to the historic setting, but also meets very stringent green standards. I believe that this BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating is a hugely important step to fulfilling the criteria both we and the university have set ourselves.”

The Durham Gateway scheme is scheduled for completion in the autumn of 2012.

_SPACE GROUP IS ONLY ARCHITECTS IN TOP 25 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

The _space team "wear it pink" on Breast Cancer Awareness day last year

National architectural firm, _space group, has become the only architectural firm in the UK to rank in the top 25 of the ‘Sunday Times Best Small Companies To Work For’ list.

The company, which employs 130 people across offices in Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds, placed 24^th, a 23 place jump from 2010.

_space group is also the only architectural firm to be awarded three star accreditation status by the Sunday Times ‘Best Companies’ projects team, and one of only 84 organisations in the UK to receive this accolade.

_space group chief executive, Rob Charlton, said: “It is absolutely incredible to think that we are highest ranking architectural firm in the UK in the ‘Sunday Times Best Small Companies To Work For’ list.

“We aren’t the sort of organisation that looks to be validated by how many awards are on our mantelpiece, but we do judge ourselves on the happiness of our people, as we know this has a marked effect on how well we perform as a business, and the high level of service we’re able to provide our clients.

“That our team thinks _space group is worthy of being a ‘Best Company’, and that this opinion is shared externally, is incredibly heartwarming. I am very proud of each and every person who works for _space group and hope that we are able to continue performing to this high a standard.”

Best Companies accreditation is based on eight different categories – my manager, leadership, my company, personal growth, my team, giving something back, fair deal, wellbeing.

_space group achieved its highest ranking in the ‘giving something back’ category, with the most common response being “my organisation makes a positive difference to the world we live in.”

The company, which has the vision of making life better for the communities in which it works, contributes time, resources and money to charity organisations in the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside and the North West, and has fostered a special relationship with organisations such as Children:North East, and Young Enterprise, working with the latter to coach teenagers on business and enterprise skills.

Janet Woodhouse, development officer, Young Enterprise North East, said: “We’ve been working with _space group since 2008 and they have consistently helped to make a positive difference to our students and their projects, encouraging them to think differently and creatively. Their high ranking comes as no surprise and we are very pleased for them.”

_space to re-join the fold

Welcome Home: Darren Purvis re-joins _space group as an interior designer

Northern architecture firm _space group, has strengthened its interior design team, _space interiors, with the appointment of a former employee, Darren Purvis.

He will jointly oversee the _space interiors team alongside Sophia Barton, based in the company’s Manchester office. With 12 years’ experience, across the hospitality, commercial, education and healthcare sectors, Darren will lead key projects in these sectors.

Darren said: “When I heard _space group was looking for another interior designer to boost the team, I got in touch straight away. They were keen to have me back and the rest is history.

“The company may have grown since I’ve been away, opening new offices and working further afield, but it is still the same friendly and open organisation I used to know and I can’t wait to get immersed in that again.”

Darren, 35, worked for the company under its former name, Waring and Netts, before joining specialist interiors firm, Ward Robinson.

Andy Roberts, _space group’s Managing Director of Architecture, said of the appointment: “Thanks to a number of project wins with a significant interior design element, we needed to increase our interiors team and we were very lucky that Darren was keen to work for us again.

“He is a great addition to the team, and we’re extremely happy to have him back. He’s a capable, confident individual who delivers exemplary projects of the highest standard. I am sure that he will settle back in very quickly.”

As well as a successful interior designer, having worked on projects nationwide, Darren is a keen distance runner, running for his local team, Birtley Athletics Club, as well as participating in distance races such as the London Marathon and the Great North Run, having completed the latter in under 71 minutes in 2010.

Darren continued: “What I’m passionate about is the challenge that interior design brings. I have been lucky enough to work on projects as diverse as the Corn Exchange in Leeds, and _space group’s Newcastle office, with the former being a listed building and the latter my future workplace. It is this diversity that interests me and keeps work fresh and exciting.”

Darren will also be involved in helping _space interiors to pursue new business opportunities and grow its offer in different sectors.

Creating space to halt in Haltwhistle

Our environmental arm, _space environment, has been called in to help put the official geographical centre of Britain - Haltwhistle - firmly on the map as a destination site and gateway to attractions such as Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland National Park.

Experts at the firm have worked with Haltwhistle Town Council and the Haltwhistle Community Partnership to produce a brief to encourage innovative developers to put forward proposals for a 7.5 hectare site south east of the town, close to the A69. The site is owned by Northumberland County Council, which has commissioned _space environment to act as its adviser.

The Council’s vision is to create what will be known as the Haltwhistle Gateway, to encourage people who would otherwise bypass the town to stop and explore what is on offer, both in the town centre, and the surrounding area.

Phase one is likely to see construction of a visitor information point, hotel, restaurant and petrol station, which will be surrounded by footpaths, cycle track and public open spaces.

The Council is inviting developers to submit expressions of interest before the end of January, after which the shortlisted developers will be given the _space group brief to help them create detailed proposals.

The _space group team will then assess the proposals and advise the Council on which submissions they feel best show exemplary design and build quality.

This is the latest in a series of Tyne Valley community projects carried out by _space environment, which provides urban design, master planning, historical and natural environment and landscape services. Earlier this year the team completed a £2.2m extension to Haltwhistle Library, giving local residents more library space plus community activity spaces and offices.

Tony Wyatt, associate director of _space environment, said: “This is a very exciting development opportunity that could really boost the fortunes of Haltwhistle and the surrounding area.

“It’s a beautiful example of a Northumberland market town and the perfect spot for people to use as a base for exploring the area. With the World Heritage Site Hadrian’s Wall right on the doorstep, and thousands of hectares of stunning scenery in the Northumberland National Park, there are a host of things to see and do.

“Around 10,000 vehicles pass Haltwhistle every day and therein lies the problem – they currently pass by.

“What the town needs now is a developer with the imagination and skill to create the right mixed use development that will establish Haltwhistle as a special destination. This will help to encourage people to eat, shop and visit its local attractions, all of which will bring in much needed tourism revenue and create employment for local people.”

Hooray for new starters!

Our new team members: (back to front row, l-r) Lisa Rogan, Judith Forster, talent manager Diane Charlton, Imran Zulfqar, Ed Cutler, David Owen and Andrew Wilson

_space group has doubled its graduate recruitment intake this year as it looks to supply the country with the next generation of architects.

The budding architects, who fought off stiff national competition for their placements, will work with us, across our offices in the North East, North West and Yorkshire.

Ed Cutler from Great Ayton, near Middlesbrough, has joined _space group after recently qualifying from the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA). He will now fulfil his part one qualification at _space group’s North West office.

He said: “I graduated from the MSA with a BA in July 2009, but was unable to find work, prompting a decision to take a Masters degree a couple of years earlier than planned. I am delighted to have been accepted onto _space group’s graduate recruitment programme, giving me the opportunity to further both my personal and professional development.

“Being part of a team working on exciting educational projects will really help me develop a range of skills that will hold me in good stead for the rest of my career. Not only am I looking forward to developing my experience in a working environment, but _space group has a great reputation for training its team members.”

The training will see the graduates work on live projects with senior architects, gaining a practical insight into architecture, alongside tailored seminars with _space group directors that expose the new starters to a wide variety of theoretical topics such as practice management and legislation.

The news comes as graduates are facing intense competition for jobs as the class of 2009 was rocked by the recession. According to gradplus.com, recruitment growth in the UK continued to slow in September this year.*

_space group talent manager Diane Charlton said: “Every year we look forward to welcoming the latest fresh young talent the UK has to offer and we have some excellent recruits this year.

“Training is something at the core of _space group’s principles – we are a company who want to provide as much opportunity to young talented individuals as possible, and our training programme is a great platform for them to shine. Our graduate programme also creates fantastic career opportunities. Some of our past training programme recruits have come back to work with us as qualified architects, and have become respected in the industry.”

A previous recruit onto _space group’s training programme was Carinna Gebhard. Carinna has now worked at the design, build and operate firm for a number of years, seeing her career expand into the education sector with a portfolio of high profile projects to her name.

The new recruits will complete the same in-house training as _space group chief executive Rob Charlton undertook 19 years ago when the organisation was known as Waring and Netts.

It almost goes without saying (but we're going to say it anyway) that we're thrilled to have been able to do this, and offer opportunities to the next decade's brilliant architectural minds! Watch this _space to see how they get on...

What's in a rebrand?

Rebranding can be a great exercise if done for the right reasons. If you know your company’s taken a shift change in another direction, or if you realise that your original message has been lost, a strategic reimagining of your company profile can pay dividends. It’s the business equivalent of buying a new suit and haircut, and reminding the world that you’re a force to be reckoned with.

Curiously, ASDA has decided to embark upon an exciting rebranding exercise of its own, where 3,500 of its own-brand products are going to be relaunched as the “Chosen By You” range. We’re told that each product was tested on a minimum of 50 (yes, that’s right, almost a standard school classroom-sized amount) people, and, at a cost of £100m, it’s the single largest own label re-launch in UK history.

But how much of an impact will this have at ground level, and what is it trying to achieve? Most consumers are pretty much fixed at one shop. If you’re an ASDA shopper, chances are that a Tesco rebrand won’t make you switch stores, and the same works in reverse. Combine force of habit with our very own age of austerity and it suggests that it won’t drive masses of customers towards ASDA. So it begs the question – was it a PR job?

For _space group, our rebranding journey has been quite different. After we blew out the candles at our 50^th birthday celebrations as Waring and Netts, a firm known primarily for architecture, we rebranded to _space group. In doing this, we weren’t looking to scribble out one name and replace it for another because both Waring and Netts have long since retired – the change was a conscious decision we took to remind clients both old and new that while we were originally an architectural firm, we’ve grown and diversified since 1957, and now we’re a design, build and operate organisation. Today, _space group works right across the built environment, not only as architects, but as landscape and urban designers, construction specialists, building surveyors, facilities managers, interior designers and specialist consultants.

A still from our internal rebranding campaign, showing the change from Waring and Netts to _space group

We can’t claim that the name was “Chosen By You”, but it was chosen by us, to represent what we bring to the marketplace. We bought our new suit not to show off, but to show our true colours as an inclusive business, and so far, it has paid dividends for us. We’ve grown our Yorkshire and Humberside office, and we’ve been able to open up a North West office which is gearing up to celebrate its first birthday in November. We’ve also been able to diversify even further with spacehus – our timber modular building business.

If ASDA’s rebrand is more than just a PR stunt (which they’ve been doing a lot of lately - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3143922/Crispwich-hits-shelves.html ), then they should be lauded for trying to listen to their customers, as we believe we listen to ours. If not, then it’s another nail in the coffin of consumer trust.

New beginnings…

Although January 1^st is usually associated with new beginnings, this time of year, blessed as it is with being the time of year that youngsters go back to school, and Freshers get a short, sharp introduction to the wonderful world of student life, is also a natural time for people to look at turning the page and starting a new chapter of their lives.

The government is pushing the “September as a new beginning” line by encouraging local authorities and businesses to submit their proposals for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) by September 6. What exactly these LEPs, which stand to replace Regional Development Agencies, will do, is still unclear, but hopefully they will unite local authorities and businesses in common goals like never before.

Indeed, there’s a buzz in the air across the UK as it looks like, we might, possibly, be looking to come out of the recession. Yes, of course we’ve seen signs before, and everyone’s tired of the phrase “green shoots of recovery”, but the retail market in Manchester being reported as being one of three areas in the country set for investment, and the new Nissan Juke being built on Wearside, securing hundreds of North East jobs (to name but two positive signs of growth), perhaps, at least in _space group’s home regions, we could finally be climbing, not falling. Could September then, mark the start of a new, more positive chapter in our economy?

This is the time of year that we’re also lucky enough to have some year out students working with the company, spread over our North East and North West offices, each one starting a new part of their lives. Not only are they working full time after spending a great amount of time in education, but they’re also getting to sit down and spend time understanding what it’s like to work in a busy, vibrant, design, build and operate business and really get to grips with what their careers will be like after they graduate.

In the next year, it is our job to give them all a full grounding in all aspects of the demanding, time poor but reward rich career that is architecture, and help them to develop both professionally and personally. Much like the positive hints we’ve seen on the economy and the impact of LEPs, the overriding factor in telling us how successful we are with these students is time.

At _space group, we always work hard to produce the best results for our customers, and that’s how we view all new members of our team – customers that we need to do our best to satisfy. Just like our customers, we’ll be asking them for feedback and working hard to improve in the areas where we feel we can, and just like our customers, we’re confident that we can deliver what they want, how they want it.

Our new recruits:

(l-r) Lisa Rogan, David Owen, Judith Forster, Imran Zulfqhar, Andrew Wilson and Ed Cutler, with Talent Manager Diane Charlton

How do we know what 'the next big thing' is?

There’s an article on the BBC website about the end of Google Wave, which was, launched to great fanfare, just one year ago.

Wave was a system that combined e-mail, instant messaging, and features that allowed users to collaborate on documents in real time. On paper, this sounds like a great way of encouraging and promoting collaborative working, with users being able to see comments from other users as they typed, and ideas being created, developed and completed by groups of people living far away from each other, truly reinforcing the idea of the “global village”.

How then, could it be, that Google had to wave goodbye (excuse the awful pun) to their dream?

I wonder whether maybe they wanted to do too much, too quickly? Collaborative working is wonderful, and it’s something that companies like ours do on a daily basis, with teams working across Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, to ensure we get the best out of our resources for our clients. But it doesn’t mean we collaborate on work in real time – too many cooks and all that. I’m also of the opinion that video messaging is something that’s yet to catch on, at least in the UK, although perhaps that’ll all be changed by iPhone 4 and the fairly obvious next release of the iPad, which is sure to contain a webcam.

But here’s the thing. Google was convinced that this would be ‘the next big thing’, and that people would be lining up to use it. More than most, they know their market and their consumer. So, if Google don’t know, then who does? Or do Google know too soon? Jim Cameron spent 10 years plus brow beating everyone in Hollywood about 3D film to relatively small take up (although some bloke called Spielberg and his mate Lucas seem to be fans now, and I seem to remember they hold some sway in tinsel town…) until he released Avatar last year, and now the world seems to be all over 3D like a rash, with cinemas retrofitting their screens like it’s going out of fashion and 3D sport finding its way into local pubs. Could it be that we’ll see the same thing here? In 10 years time, will Google look back and say that Wave simply a pre-cursor to what we’ll have then? Or, will we see it going the same way as Betamax and Cuil and other ‘groundbreaking’ products too numerous to mention – hailed as the next big thing at the time, but yet pretty much sinking without a trace.

Most technology trailblazers – Apple, Pixar, Cameron and all – broadly believe that going for it, even if it means you might fail, is the best solution when it comes to new technology, and Google is no exception to that. Taking a chance on trailblazing technology is a philosophy we also subscribe to – try something new, think differently, and it might just get you results (we have high hopes that _spacehus will do just that).

Now you’ve got to wonder – how well do those companies we place so much stock in know that what they’re doing is actually going to be a commercial success, or are their products just an exercise in cosmic dice rolling? People are fickle folk – sometimes we want bacon, sometimes we want cheese, sometimes we want Steve Jobs, sometimes we want Bill Gates. Maybe the best indicator of the next big thing is as easy as what mood the general public are in.

Image from www.freegamesonnet.com

Bicycle Race! (ding ding, ding ding)

On Wednesday, we had an opportunity to truly meet our purpose of making life better, as we waved 101 bikes onto a shipping crate, heading for a plane, heading for the Gambia. Confused? Allow us to elaborate...

_space group has been working with Catcote Special Business and Enterprise College, in Hartlepool, since 2008, when we met them as one of five student companies we invited into Spaceworks for a series of business and enterprise workshops as part of the Young Enterprise North East Company programme. The students and teachers got a lot out of their time with us, were able to use our advice to enhance their business, and even saw one of their students go on to win an award from Young Enterprise North East later that year.

Ever since then, we've kept in touch with one another, and when we saw their latest venture, bike reconditioning business 1.2. Free Bikes, at the Young Enterprise North East annual trade fair in February, we couldn't resist working with them again. We suggested that if they were able to recondition 101 bikes, then we would sponsor the bikes to be sent to Africa, complete with Catcote/_space group pink stickers on them.

The team rose to the challenge and Wednesday saw the re-named 1.2. Free Bikes 4 Africa, putting the finishing touches to their fleet of bikes at Hullavington airfield in Wiltshire. The six students and two teachers involved were able to sticker and examine each of the 101 bikes, ensuring that they safely joined 262 other bikes and an assortment of school equipment heading for the Gambia, courtesy of charity Jole Rider.

We all felt that watching the lorry transporting a crate containing hundreds of bikes and pieces of equipment that would eventually make life better for hundreds of children who aren't lucky enough to be born with the same advantages that we are was a privilige. For Catcote's part, they are even more eager to get on with the job and recondition more bikes, which they hope will go to Africa. With agreements in place from a number of companies in Teesside, including Hartlepool Police, we don't think they'll be short of offers. From _space group's point of view, this is why we exist - it is great to know that the _space effect is being felt worldwide, and that we can help to create sustainable communities not only in the UK, but across the world.

The team (from left to right): Paul Snowden, 16, Kirsty Robertson, 16, Terence Elner, 17, Christopher Gleeson, 17, Scott Bates, 16 and Tiffany Partington, 16.

On site at Constructionarium 2010

_space group Associate Technical Advisor, David Savage, at Constructionarium 2010

_space group feels strongly about aiding the development of students preparing to join the industries in which we work, and investing in future skills. One of the ways we help is via Constructionarium - a five day working field course based at former air base RAF Bircham Newton, King's Lynn, designed to provide a practical experience of construction for students.

Several universities send groups of students to Constructionarium to understand what it's like to work on site and help them to prepare for the construction industry. _space group has been acting as technical advisors for students from Northumbria University taking part in the project this year. David Savage, our Associate Technical Director, spent last week at the Constructionarium site with the Northumbria University students, advising them on their four projects - 1:10 scale versions of the Swiss re building (better known as "The Gherkin"), the canopy roof and access shaft for Naples Airport Underground Station, the Barcelona tower, and a scaled down version of the Millennium Galleries project in Sheffield. Below is a short diary he kept on the construction of each project.

Project 1 - The Swiss re building/"The Gherkin"

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The students dug an excavation hole to the underside of the foundation level. They installed formwork for the core base and started to assemble the diagrids that give the building its distinctive shape. These will be added into place later on in the week, in large sections, rather than individually.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Flexible plastic formers have been used to form a run for the concrete base and despite a substantial amount of timber propping, these formers have been found to not be strong enough and has led to the first concrete pour for the base of the structure becoming deformed. The students have also had to contend with a lack of concrete, and schedule an urgent delivery for the morning.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

The second concrete pour has been completed, and due to the deformation caused by the plastic formers, the dimensions have been checked and re-checked to ensure that the foundation could support the diagrid baseplates. The results were positive and the students have been able to mark out the baseplate positions for the diagrid structures to be fitted to the foundations.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

Despite experiencing more problems with broken drill bits, the students have been able to hoist the upper floor diagrids into place and bolt them to the base frame. They used a scaffold and crane to achive this and worked until 6.30, past the end of their working day, to ensure they were on schedule to complete the next day.

Day five, Friday 30 April:

The project was completed at approx. 3.30 pm. Despite some problems, the students have worked hard to pick themselves up and get on with the job.

All the students celebrate successful completion of "The Gherkin"

Project 2 - Millennium Galleries

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The students have prepared excavations for foundations and formwork of the structure.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Concrete for the structure has been cast and the students have completed construction of the shutters. They've also tied lifting hoops to the reinforcing cages so that they can avoid the risk of the hoops pulling out - a problem last year's students experienced.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

The students have prepared the shuttering for the roof section, in preparation for casting the roof in one piece.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

Pre-cast walls end walls have been lifted into place. The students have had to break out part of the foundation to accommodate one of the walls as a result of the foundation former moving slightly on day two.

Day five, Friday 30 April:

Project completed mid-afternoon.

Project 3 - Naples Airport Underground Roof

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The first set of precast rings are in place and the excavations for the ring beam completed. The structure's timber ribs have all had baseplates fitted.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Precast rings have been placed and sunk. The students have also placed reinforcement and column formers into the structure.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

Students have sunk the precast rings to the correct depth, set the scaffold rails and poured concrete to the columns.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

Baseplate holes have been set out and drilling for fixings carried out. However, some of the columns are out of position and this may be due to the movement of the concrete during its placement yesterday, as the formers were not held at the base.

Day five, Friday 30 April:

The students completed the project by mid-afternoon.

The completed structure

Project 4 - Barcelona Tower

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The project has proceeded well, despite some survey equipment not being available on the first day. The students haven't let these problems delay them and have instead used trigonometry and tape measurements to set out their project.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Central column based and reinforcements were put in place. The students also continued with the pre-fabrication of the external metal structure (started yesterday), which was a complex and very time consuming process.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

A scaffold and shuttering were both erected and two seperate pours of concrete were completed. The students also cast the perimeter foundations for the cable ties and provided temporary props for the central column.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

The scaffold was lifted and the final pour of concrete for the central column cast. The students were also able to add external features - a _space sign and seating, painted "_space pink".

Day five, Friday 30 April:

Shuttering was struck, the scaffold adjusted, main structure lifted into place,tie cables installed and tensioned. By mid afternoon the shuttering was removed and the project completed.

To see more images from the week, check out our flickr uploads - http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Constructionarium. We've also got video footage of the site, which we're currently in the process of editing. We'll be putting this footage up on our youtube channel shortly, so watch this _space for more on Constructionarium.

Political _space

The leaders of the big three - Brown, Cameron and Clegg. But who will be the next PM? Image from www.politics.co.uk

At _space group, we're always keen to engage with the world around us, and when one of our people was offered the chance to get involved in the election from the ground up, she jumped at it.

Danielle Gibson, our Communication Coordinator, got the chance to sit in the audience of a BBC Look North Question Time election special and question Nick Brown (Labour), Sir Alan Beith (Liberal Democrats) and William Hague (Conservative) on their views on the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and what their parties’ plans would be with it after the election.

Danielle said: "It was great to be able to discuss a matter that directly affects me, and _space group, with some of the people who will be charged with decision making in the months to come, and I liked having the chance to get some honest answers from the party representatives.

"Each party representative agreed that education was important, but didn't give any clear indication about their level of commitment to BSF going forward, so whatever party gets handed the keys to number 10, that's something that we'll be watching very closely.”

The TV show, chaired by Look North's Richard Moss, also saw the political candidates questioned on their parties' thoughts on regional jobs, healthcare and transport, with some interesting debates had, particularly with regards to making the A1 North of Morpeth a dual carriageway (all three parties agree that it should be done...but that the money to do it would be hard to come by and that it must be done in stages) and the handling of the Corus closure on Teesside.

Danielle continued: "It was also interesting to hear their different perspectives on jobs in the North East and how people would be affected by the inevitable public sector cuts. As I'm sure you can imagine, Nick Brown and Sir Alan Beith were keen to ensure that government took an active role in ensuring that people who stood to lose their jobs as a direct result of the cuts were helped by the government, while William Hague felt that the government's role was to provide help to the private sector, to make sure they could pick up the slack."

Members of the Green Party, UKIP and the BNP were also offered the chance to give their opinions on these key regional subjects, although, some (notably the BNP representative) managed to show the murky side of their political values.

There are already rumours that Hollywood may come knocking on Danielle's (or "woman in the tartan dress" as she was referred to by Richard Moss on Tuesday) door in the not too distant future. With this, and an extras part in Byker Grove behind her, we're sure she'll be up there amongst Kate Winslet and Judi Dench in no time.

To watch Danielle's starring moment, log onto http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s8qct/Election_2010_The_Look_North_Debate/ , where the debate will be available until May 7.

Brightening up Percy Main Primary

Students at Percy Main Primary School

Pupils, parents and staff at Percy Main Primary School have been working with design and building professionals to brighten up their school hall for free.

The school is one of just five in the country to receive a free makeover as part of a major national education programme, the Big School Makeover, which is an initiative of the British Council for School Environments (BCSE). The programme aims to encourage teachers, parents and young people to get involved in refreshing or refurbishing a classroom, dining room or even an outdoor space.

The programme's slogan, Small Change to Big Difference, illustrates that with a little imagination and effort any area of the school can be turned into a pleasant and stimulating place of learning, whatever the budget.

BCSE Chief Executive Ty Goddard said: "We are in the middle of the biggest investment in school buildings since Victorian times. Every child in the country deserves the best possible school building - whether it's through a refresh of colour, a major refurbishment or a new build. We want to see young people and teachers up and down the country involved in designing and taking action in their schools."

The makeover project partners, Dulux Trade and construction firm Willmott Dixon, are worked with the BCSE, pupils and staff on design plans and implementation for the multi-use hall at Percy Main Primary School.

John Walsh, Headteacher Percy Main Primary School, said: "We are thrilled to be involved with the Big School Makeover and our whole school community are really looking forward to reaping the benefits from this project.

"The opportunity to work with a variety of professionals and witness their talent and 'know -how' first hand has raised the aspirations of us all, and the success of the collaboration has already made us ask; 'What can we improve next?"

Martha James from Dulux Trade said: "Good design is achieved by really thinking about what you want from an environment, who will use it and what they will be using it for. Schools have a central role in the community and the way people engage with a school building, positive or otherwise, can be directly affected by the colour and design of a space.

"Transforming the learning environment really can add colour to the lives of the people who use it. The Government's Better Public Building even states that 'the design of schools can promote the performance of pupils, the retention of staff and a more creative approach to teaching and learning'. Every child has the right to a stimulating, exciting school environment - one that nurtures learning and interaction. The Big School Makeover shows just how easy it is to achieve this."

Architects from local architecture practice Space Group also spared their time to offer expertise and donate materials towards the school makeover.

Space Group architectural assistant Steven Paynter who has worked with the students on the school makeover said: "It has been great to work with the students on the design and layout of their new school hall. They have been very creative in coming up with ideas of how they would like it to look and it was exciting to see the whole thing come to life and the students enjoy their new learning environment.

"Previously the school hall was used for a wide variety of purposes but was in a poor state of decoration. The space is used for dining, gym, assemblies, performances and as a main thoroughfare. The hall is in constant use throughout the day and it therefore needed to be flexible to allow for the many changes of use. The students have worked hard to ensure the school identity is reflected in the new design."

Peter Owen, Willmott Dixon managing director for the Midlands and education sector manager, says: "This is the third consecutive year we have joined forces with the BCSE to carry out school makeovers. They are a tremendous opportunity to show just how easy it is to bring to life school space that is not being used to its best potential.

"The quality of the learning environment is key to helping children reach their potential and we are delighted to be able to transform space at Percy Main Primary School during the BCSE's Big School Makeover."