Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) reveals renderings of ‘No.1 Quayside’s office building in Newcastle, England. Once built, No.1 Quayside will be the city’s third modern icon; after Foster and Partner’s Sage Gateshead and The Millennium Bridge.
This office building is BIG’s first in the UK outside of London, where the architects built four projects including The New Museum of London. This quayside has a historic urban context that was once described as the “finest quay in England”, and is still functioning as one of the greatest riverside townscapes in the UK.
Courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
The project is set to be built in a unique plot of land that has been abandoned for 10 years. It lies off the quayside between The River Tyne and the Millennium Bridge, and it is bordered on all sides by major highways. Bjarke Ingels Group followed their typical approach that prioritizes blending in with the site: The building’s mass follows the curves of the bordering roads, so it wraps around itself to create a ribbon-like office space.
The living green roof slopes down to create a sequence of linear garden terraces. The staircase that connects the office space with the terraces also acts as a fire escape stair. The sloping mass of No.1 quayside is similar to BIG’s waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen.
Courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
“Our proposal is born from the unique conditions of Newcastle’s architectural elements, the sloping hills, and the curvy frames of the bridges over the Tyne. The ascending serpentine silhouette feels like a fresh yet familiar continuation of this unique urban landscape.” Explained Bjarke Ingels.
The 12-story office building offers 10000sq.m rental space for each type of business. The rental areas’ will start from 100sq.m to 1200sq.m, providing uninterrupted views over the River Tyne, and offering up to 1000 job opportunities.
Knight Frank -a UK real estate agency and a collaborator in the No.1 quayside- described the office building as “market-defining”. Providing that there has been a long hiatus in building modern office spaces, there will be a great interest in No.1 quayside.
“I’m confident there will be a lot of interest as this is an incredibly exciting blueprint for the city of Newcastle.” Patrick Manthson, Partner at Knight Frank.
Courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
The schemes of No.1 quayside are being studied and discussed by the city council and Knight Frank, and the plans will be presented at the international property event (MIPIM) in Cannes next month.
Bjarke Ingels has contributed to several skylines and urban contexts with his unique designs. Check the Best Tall Building of the Americas in 2016 by BIG.
Project Info
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Location: Quayside upon Tyne, UK
Area: 10000sq.m
Collaborators: xsite architecture, knight architecture
Client: Rob Cameron
Status: In progress
Project Name: No.1 Quayside
