Westgate House Redevelopment | Newcastle | 6 Fl | Demolition - Page 3

Irish Blood English Heart · October 22nd, 2009, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregstone

A photo of the Gehry building (aka "Fred and Ginger") used to be on the wall of the chief planner's office in the Civic Centre - managed to dissuade him from trying to copy it!

Haha shame

hollow man · October 23rd, 2009, 11:59 PM

Anyone else actually MISS Westgate House?!?!?!?!?

Something about its scale agreed with me, plus I liked driving underneath it!!

Seamaster · October 24th, 2009, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnypd

Pic of the pudding chare elevation of the westgate house replacement:

That looks virtually identical to City Quadrant!

***Newcastle Historian*** · October 24th, 2009, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollow man

Anyone else actually MISS Westgate House?!?!?!?!?

Something about its scale agreed with me, plus I liked driving underneath it!!

I don't miss it, certainly NOT, but I do remember when it was first built there were some things I, and most people, genuinly liked about it . .

1 - It was BIG, which made it impressive, and proved that we were a 'big, modern, successful city - a place to be contended with'

2 - It, we assumed, brought a lot of jobs to the City Centre.

3 - It had a 'finish' to the building, that was NOT the 'rough / bare' concrete like the Central Library and Swan House (etc) that all so soon absorbed the dirt out of the air and looked stained - so that was a bonus.

4 - I was able to convince myself it provided a good, clear, pleasant-contrast, with all the old buildings around it.

So, there were things I liked about it!! I feel 'brave' to actually admit all that now!!

Rapidly, I came to dislike it though, and I am no different to most in hating it so much I was very happy to see its demolition. It is interesting though, what 'time' and 'maturity' (my own, as well as that of architectural style generally) can do to your opinions . . .

Never thought I'd say anything like this about Westgate House!!

Oh, and the views from the top of it were GREAT . . .

NEVER to be seen again . . .

Views from the top of Westgate House.

WilfBurnsFan · October 24th, 2009, 03:55 PM

I miss the 'Tyne & Wear' plaque in the pavement beneath it!

However, it was a tax office, and we should rejoice in the destruction of all such buildings. Feel the fear, no place to hide...

SCNewcastle · October 24th, 2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollow man

Anyone else actually MISS Westgate House?!?!?!?!?

Something about its scale agreed with me, plus I liked driving underneath it!!

The thing I slightly liked about it was that it was part of the distinctive Newcastle 1960s pattern of buildings on stilts over streets - the City State exhibition at the Lit & Phil quotes the photographer enthusing about the uniqueness of that. Sadly many of the buildings involved are fairly dull, but they do make quite interesting gateways.

What's depressing is the pattern of the public sector spending its money on demolishing buildings (or at the mouth of the Ouseburn, making sure they don't get built), rather than on putting new ones up.

johnnypd · November 1st, 2009, 10:18 PM

another view of this proposal:

hollow man · November 1st, 2009, 11:24 PM

You know, this building would be so bad if they added some fancy decorative bits to the facade, especially on top.

WilfBurnsFan · November 2nd, 2009, 01:22 AM

I know that was a typo, but mainstream commercial architecture is in such a state that it really would be so bad if they tried anything decorative or artistic.

hollow man · November 2nd, 2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WilfBurnsFan

I know that was a typo, but mainstream commercial architecture is in such a state that it really would be so bad if they tried anything decorative or artistic.

Yeah it was a typo! Sorry, i meant it WOULD NOT be so bad!!

AngerOfTheNorth · November 2nd, 2009, 06:44 PM

If we could get something of the quality of Gehry's Fred and Ginger building in Prague I'd be over the moon. Like Chatton I think it's brilliant and would look great to the edges of the Grainger Town, as an interesting flourish as the street leaves the Grainger Town.

What is it that you dislike about the building Greg? A lot of Gehry's other stuff isn't so great though admittedly.

I just find the proposed building rather dull... More wallpaper "architecture"...

gregstone · November 2nd, 2009, 06:59 PM

I don't know; I know the great buildings don't always have to reflect their function or their surroundings but I just get a bit bothered when the architect's main inspiration is something "wacky" - see Middlehaven.

johnnypd · November 4th, 2009, 04:42 PM

apparently this scheme is called "44 Wesgate"...found this out in an old journal article from Jan 2008 which said construction was 'now set to begin'.

Successor to loathed building starts soon

Feb 16 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

An artist's impression of the new building which will be built on Westgate Road, Newcastle. It will be 'respectful of its location', the architects say

THIS is the building chosen to replace the loathed 1970s edifice of Westgate House in Newcastle city centre.

After several false starts over many years, developer Centreland has had its plans for the prominent site approved by Newcastle City Council and work is now set to begin on construction.

The £30m “44 Westgate” building will provide 65,000sq ft of office space over five floors (equivalent to a full size football pitch) along with shops or restaurants on the ground floor.

The building has been designed by London architects’ firm Careyjones, which describes the sandstone-fronted building as “respectful of its location”. Once Westgate House’s former neighbour Norwich Union House has been demolished, work will start on the construction of 44 Westgate.

The old 12-storey block of Westgate House straddled Westgate Road in Newcastle city centre for 30 years but was never popular. It was regularly voted among the region’s most hated buildings.

The site is surrounded by eight listed buildings and stands in one of Newcastle’s 11 conservation areas, making the former structure’s uncompromising presence all the harder to bear.

Joint workshops have been held by Careyjones, English Heritage and Newcastle City Council to work on the new building’s design. Mike Harris, a director of Careyjones, said: “Replacing the former Westgate House, 44 Westgate will undoubtedly enhance the urban landscape of this area of central Newcastle.

“The building’s natural sandstone frontage will sit comfortably in its surroundings, contributing to the rich diversity of architecture in the area.”

The 44 Westgate project is being marketed by sole agent King Sturge with the office space expected to prove very popular, given its proximity to Newcastle Central Station. The nearby Zurich building in Fenkle Street, with 51,000sq ft of space, was sold last summer for £12.75m, though the property market has since fallen back.

A spokesman for Centreland Group said: “We are delighted the proposals for 44 Westgate have been approved. Careyjones has put together an innovative design of the highest quality that takes into account the sensitive nature of the site and the surrounding environment.

“We are confident the scheme will make a major contribution to the regeneration of this important area of Newcastle.”

***Newcastle Historian*** · February 13th, 2010, 01:12 PM

This interesting photo shows the combined three sites for this project, as they currently are . .

- The vacant former 'Westgate House' plot.
- The 'always vacant' plot behind Westgate House.
- The 'still there' Norwich Union House, on the left of the photo.

The developer, Centreland, acquired all three plots in 2007, and approval for the new building (as shown in the immediately previous post) was given in November 2009.

http://www.centreland.com/home.html

There has been no progress since, is it simply (another) victim of the recession?

I assume it is, but is the project now just on hold, or has it been cancelled, I wonder?

NewcastleStu · February 13th, 2010, 01:27 PM

If I were to guess I'd say just on hold. That has to be one of the prime pieces of developable land in Newcastle City Centre, there's always going to be a high potential value for that plot even if it ends up being sold to a different developer.

TownPlanningNE · October 27th, 2010, 06:51 PM

What was on this site before Westgate House? There are probably some photo's of it on this forum somewhere that I haven't came across- could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks.

***Newcastle Historian*** · October 27th, 2010, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TownPlanningNE

What was on this site before Westgate House? There are probably some photo's of it on this forum somewhere that I haven't came across- could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks.

This thread shows what used to be there . .

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1235527

TownPlanningNE · October 27th, 2010, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

This thread shows what used to be there . .

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1235527

Thanks NH! Thats great!

WilfBurnsFan · October 27th, 2010, 07:02 PM

Looking at the photo that JohhnyPD posted above, I'd agree with the architects/developers quote that it is 'respectful' of is surroundings. Would that other developers... However, is it maybe too respectful to the point of being bland? The location is at the boundary of Tyneside classical and the rather showier gothic architecture of, say, the Union Club (Union Roms) and Mining Institue, intermingled with the classicism of the station and the Lit & Phil, and the baroque of Bolbec and the (old) Sun Life and the (old) bank that is now Revolution. If anywhere in a historic city centre like Newcastle there was room for bit of adventure, this may have been it,

AngerOfTheNorth · October 28th, 2010, 03:38 AM

Totally agree Wilf. It's background architecture. If (for some horrific reason) we lost several other buildings in that area, it would be ruined by building more stuff like that. The area has a unified character because of the use of stone, but other than that - as you say - there's a mix of styles with plenty of architectural "showing off". Ideally, the building should make a bit of a statement on the corner (even allowing an extra floor or two there) to really wow people coming up from the direction of the castle.

We shouldn't automatically think that the architecture we create should play second fiddle to what's already there.

February 13th, 2010, 01:12 PM	#54
*Newcastle Historian* Moderator and Archivist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 15,048 Likes (Received): 63	This interesting photo shows the combined three sites for this project, as they currently are . . - The vacant former 'Westgate House' plot. - The 'always vacant' plot behind Westgate House. - The 'still there' Norwich Union House, on the left of the photo. The developer, Centreland, acquired all three plots in 2007, and approval for the new building (as shown in the immediately previous post) was given in November 2009. http://www.centreland.com/home.html There has been no progress since, is it simply (another) victim of the recession? I assume it is, but is the project now just on hold, or has it been cancelled, I wonder? Last edited by Newcastle Historian; February 13th, 2010 at 01:25 PM.

October 27th, 2010, 06:51 PM	#56
TownPlanningNE Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Durham/Newcastle Posts: 1,570 Likes (Received): 1	What was on this site before Westgate House? There are probably some photo's of it on this forum somewhere that I haven't came across- could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks. __________________ Newcastle Metro Area Forum

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October 23rd, 2009, 11:59 PM	#42
hollow man Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Newcastle, England, UK, Europe, Planet Earth Posts: 1,976 Likes (Received): 0	Anyone else actually MISS Westgate House?!?!?!?!? Something about its scale agreed with me, plus I liked driving underneath it!!

October 24th, 2009, 03:55 PM	#45
WilfBurnsFan Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 2,381 Likes (Received): 15	I miss the 'Tyne & Wear' plaque in the pavement beneath it! However, it was a tax office, and we should rejoice in the destruction of all such buildings. Feel the fear, no place to hide...

November 1st, 2009, 10:18 PM	#47
johnnypd Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Newcastle/Edinburgh Posts: 6,088 Likes (Received): 8	another view of this proposal:

November 1st, 2009, 11:24 PM	#48
hollow man Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Newcastle, England, UK, Europe, Planet Earth Posts: 1,976 Likes (Received): 0	You know, this building would be so bad if they added some fancy decorative bits to the facade, especially on top.

November 2nd, 2009, 01:22 AM	#49
WilfBurnsFan Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 2,381 Likes (Received): 15	I know that was a typo, but mainstream commercial architecture is in such a state that it really would be so bad if they tried anything decorative or artistic.

November 2nd, 2009, 06:44 PM	#51
AngerOfTheNorth Architectural Dogsbody Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne/London Posts: 2,856 Likes (Received): 6	If we could get something of the quality of Gehry's Fred and Ginger building in Prague I'd be over the moon. Like Chatton I think it's brilliant and would look great to the edges of the Grainger Town, as an interesting flourish as the street leaves the Grainger Town. What is it that you dislike about the building Greg? A lot of Gehry's other stuff isn't so great though admittedly. I just find the proposed building rather dull... More wallpaper "architecture"...

November 2nd, 2009, 06:59 PM	#52
gregstone Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,133 Likes (Received): 13	I don't know; I know the great buildings don't always have to reflect their function or their surroundings but I just get a bit bothered when the architect's main inspiration is something "wacky" - see Middlehaven.

November 4th, 2009, 04:42 PM	#53
johnnypd Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Newcastle/Edinburgh Posts: 6,088 Likes (Received): 8	apparently this scheme is called "44 Wesgate"...found this out in an old journal article from Jan 2008 which said construction was 'now set to begin'. Successor to loathed building starts soon Feb 16 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal An artist's impression of the new building which will be built on Westgate Road, Newcastle. It will be 'respectful of its location', the architects say THIS is the building chosen to replace the loathed 1970s edifice of Westgate House in Newcastle city centre. After several false starts over many years, developer Centreland has had its plans for the prominent site approved by Newcastle City Council and work is now set to begin on construction. The £30m “44 Westgate” building will provide 65,000sq ft of office space over five floors (equivalent to a full size football pitch) along with shops or restaurants on the ground floor. The building has been designed by London architects’ firm Careyjones, which describes the sandstone-fronted building as “respectful of its location”. Once Westgate House’s former neighbour Norwich Union House has been demolished, work will start on the construction of 44 Westgate. The old 12-storey block of Westgate House straddled Westgate Road in Newcastle city centre for 30 years but was never popular. It was regularly voted among the region’s most hated buildings. The site is surrounded by eight listed buildings and stands in one of Newcastle’s 11 conservation areas, making the former structure’s uncompromising presence all the harder to bear. Joint workshops have been held by Careyjones, English Heritage and Newcastle City Council to work on the new building’s design. Mike Harris, a director of Careyjones, said: “Replacing the former Westgate House, 44 Westgate will undoubtedly enhance the urban landscape of this area of central Newcastle. “The building’s natural sandstone frontage will sit comfortably in its surroundings, contributing to the rich diversity of architecture in the area.” The 44 Westgate project is being marketed by sole agent King Sturge with the office space expected to prove very popular, given its proximity to Newcastle Central Station. The nearby Zurich building in Fenkle Street, with 51,000sq ft of space, was sold last summer for £12.75m, though the property market has since fallen back. A spokesman for Centreland Group said: “We are delighted the proposals for 44 Westgate have been approved. Careyjones has put together an innovative design of the highest quality that takes into account the sensitive nature of the site and the surrounding environment. “We are confident the scheme will make a major contribution to the regeneration of this important area of Newcastle.”

February 13th, 2010, 01:27 PM	#55
NewcastleStu Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,164 Likes (Received): 6	If I were to guess I'd say just on hold. That has to be one of the prime pieces of developable land in Newcastle City Centre, there's always going to be a high potential value for that plot even if it ends up being sold to a different developer.

October 27th, 2010, 07:02 PM	#59
WilfBurnsFan Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 2,381 Likes (Received): 15	Looking at the photo that JohhnyPD posted above, I'd agree with the architects/developers quote that it is 'respectful' of is surroundings. Would that other developers... However, is it maybe too respectful to the point of being bland? The location is at the boundary of Tyneside classical and the rather showier gothic architecture of, say, the Union Club (Union Roms) and Mining Institue, intermingled with the classicism of the station and the Lit & Phil, and the baroque of Bolbec and the (old) Sun Life and the (old) bank that is now Revolution. If anywhere in a historic city centre like Newcastle there was room for bit of adventure, this may have been it,

October 28th, 2010, 03:38 AM	#60
AngerOfTheNorth Architectural Dogsbody Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne/London Posts: 2,856 Likes (Received): 6	Totally agree Wilf. It's background architecture. If (for some horrific reason) we lost several other buildings in that area, it would be ruined by building more stuff like that. The area has a unified character because of the use of stone, but other than that - as you say - there's a mix of styles with plenty of architectural "showing off". Ideally, the building should make a bit of a statement on the corner (even allowing an extra floor or two there) to really wow people coming up from the direction of the castle. We shouldn't automatically think that the architecture we create should play second fiddle to what's already there.