_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 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.”

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.”

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

Rob Charlton on _space life

In May 2009, national architectural firm Space Group launched its online and social media portal, _space life.

CEO Rob Charlton discusses how the idea came to life and the online developments made since the launch.