Andy’s fingerprints all over city

May 12 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

Environmentally sound cars, the future shape of Newcastle’s architecture, and whether we actually need Swan House roundabout, all exercise the mind of _space Architecture and Management’s Andy Roberts. Graeme King met him.

WHEN historians look back at early 21st century architecture in Newcastle, they may well spare a few paragraphs for the contribution a modest, bespectacled man has made to the city.

With such high profile schemes as Trinity Gardens, close to the Quayside, the Baltic Quay offices across the river, and the forthcoming Stephenson Quarter behind Central Station, Andy Roberts is certainly leaving his mark on the Tyneside landscape.

And while he is at pains to emphasise the importance of the team he leads at _space, he has undoubtedly made a significant contribution himself.

His buildings may not make the kind of striking contribution made by the star structures of Grainger Town, or the historic heart of the Quayside, but the way they have helped to transform how the region’s capital functions will live long in the memory.

Think of the area behind Newcastle’s law courts before Trinity Gardens was built – it was desolate, unloved and not somewhere to seek out.

Today it is a vibrant new part of the city, providing offices, restaurants, apartments and car parking, and it links up the elevated City Road with the lower level Broad Chare.

And now Roberts is finalising plans for the Stephenson Quarter – currently a mishmash of old industrial buildings, a Royal Mail sorting office, a builders’ merchant, and a car dealership, with no way through the site for pedestrians moving between the Quayside and the city centre.

If the city’s planning committee gives its approval, there will be an almighty transformation. Offices, two hotels, new public squares, apartments and a ‘Centre for Creative Industries’ will appear and new routes will open up.

Both schemes bear the name of developer Silverlink, but have the fingerprints of Roberts all over their drawings and fancy CAD graphics.

Beyond these schemes, the managing director of _space has other targets – not least of which is a working relationship with Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, through his chairman Chris Mort.

Plans are afoot to develop the land the club owns around its St James’s Park stadium and Roberts is the man tasked with putting forward some ideas.

The story of how Roberts came to be at the heart of so much development starts 44 years ago. The son of a miner who later went into the RAF, Roberts spent his early years moving around the country before his family settled in the North West. After A-levels Roberts came to Newcastle to study architecture and never looked back. He has made his career in the North East ever since. “I’d always had a passion for art and design from the age of three or four, so architecture was always a natural target for me,” he says.

“I was adept at drawing, but I also had a strong practical drive. I like to construct things and the sheer joy of creativity you get with architecture.”

After eight years studying, including two getting experience in industry, Roberts went to work for Faulkner Browns for a year, and then for Ryder– then Ryder & Yates – for 15 years.

He has now been with the North East’s biggest firm _space (previously Waring & Netts) for four years.

Roberts says the firm’s new identity (it was introduced in January this year) is intended to show it is no longer just a firm of architects, but is multi-disciplinary and concerned with all aspects of how a space is created.

He says: “It’s now a different generation running the business, in a different environment with different requirements. The principal drivers of the branding change were that we felt we had changed as a business, so changing the brand reinforces that, and we are deliberately increasing our geographic spread, and we are a lot more diverse in terms of what we do.

“We have architects, interior designers, landscape designers, quantity surveyors, building surveyors, construction specialists, so having a universal brand is a better package for all the disciplines. We are very excited about what we are doing with the business, there is never a dull day for us.”

One of the ways _space attempts to differentiate itself from the competition is through engaging with the sustainability agenda – not only in the buildings it creates, but in the way the firm functions.

Roberts says: “Other firms have their directors driving large German cars, where we thought we would take a stance to get the smallest or greenest cars we could find. And those cars are available to staff during the day through our green travel plan.

“I have a Toyota Prius and Rob (chief executive Rob Charlton) has a Toyota Aygo. We also use local public transport where we can, and the train for any national visits we need to make.”

So has _space ever turned down a job on the basis that the client was not prepared to buy into the firm’s philosophy?

“We are committed to delivering sustainable design solutions, but we recognise that is quite complex,” says Roberts. “We try to advocate green design and try to influence our clients and people we work with.

“We will always try to do things like minimise energy consumption, but we recognise we are working with commercial clients. We try to come up with the most pragmatic solution. As long as you are open-minded, you can come up with a better solution in that way.”

Roberts is an individual who has already made a contribution to the look of modern Newcastle, so what does he make of the current vogue for introducing skyscrapers to the North East?

Sunderland could gain a new 100 metre high building known as the ‘Spirit of Sunderland’ and there is talk of tall buildings being added to the Newcastle cityscape too. Roberts says: “I’m protective of the Tyne Gorge – we have a unique city setting here. When I was down on the river recently for the Eat Festival, the view of the layers of bridges was absolutely fantastic.

“As you walk along Close (by the Copthorne Hotel), you have the High Level Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. Most visitors are taken with it, and we don’t want to damage it. The scale now is about right.

“But I am looking for more, high quality contemporary development further east and west.

“Stepping back, the city has developed over several eras and of course the conservation area should be preserved but the 21st Century should make its mark further north.

“The land around Newcastle United football ground could be a focus for higher buildings. We have been looking at sites for Newcastle United – looking at schemes with the new owner as he owns parcels of land around the club.

“We are looking forward to being asked to look at things with fresh eyes.

“We have had meetings with the city council and the club, and there is a very positive agenda on high buildings there.”

“I had a meeting with Chris Mort and Tony Jimenez. They have interesting ideas for pushing the club forward. They are a very optimistic management team and they want to enhance the physical facilities of the club. But it is very, very early days at the moment.”

But while there are clearly many buildings and pieces of infrastructure around the North East which enthuse Roberts – he is critical of some of the mistakes made.

He says: “The general infrastructure from Swan House roundabout, and up the Central Motorway – there are problems with the way it severs the west from the east of the city. We need ideas to improve that, and take the city back towards Byker and that direction.

“The motorway is a major problem and at some time in the future we need to do something quite fundamental with it. It’s quite tortuous to get down to the Quayside area. Do we need a big roundabout at 55 degrees north? Could it be reduced in some way?

“You can tinker with some things, but at some stage, you have to make major, fundamental moves to advance the city.”

One project which has required a lot of Roberts’ time is the Stephenson Quarter, which is currently making its way through the planning system. He is clearly pleased with any opportunity to talk about the project.

“I’m really looking forward to taking that scheme to site. It has been the culmination of several years of preparation work. We have focused on the design of cities, visiting places across western Europe looking at the quality of urban design and new public spaces.

“This is a whole new quarter for the city which is very firmly rooted in the site – it’s not an alien, 21st Century development dropped into Newcastle.

“We have acknowledged the industrial past created by Robert Stephenson, but the project still stands on its own.”

The team at _space, led by Roberts, approached the site before them with a truly ‘blank canvas’ attitude, and he says they did not think about buildings until the full structure of the development was in place.

He says: “Our way is to think about streets and space first, and the buildings come last. For the Stephenson Quarter, we plotted routes of pedestrians across the city, with views and routes. We focused on what makes great cities great.

“On that site, there are glimpses of the bridges, Central Station is hugely important, and you can see trains coming in slowly from Kings Cross.

“Silverlink is a very experienced developer and recognises the value of a scheme that has many aspects to it. There will be a significant investment in public space, in artwork, landscaping.”

CV: Andy Roberts

Born May 1963

Qualifications & education

Member of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) – 1994

Member of ARB (Architects Registration Board) – 1989

Member of BCO (British Council for Offices) – 2000

1984 – BA Architectural Studies

1988 –BArch

Employment

2008 - present Managing Director – _space Architecture & Management, Newcastle.

2005 - 2007 Design Director – Waring and Netts, Newcastle.

2004 - 2005 – Associate Director – Waring and Netts, Newcastle.

2000 - 2004 – Architectural Director – Ryder HKS, Newcastle.

1998 - 2000 – Principle – Ryder Design & Management.

1994 - 1997 – Associate – Ryder Design & Management, Newcastle.

1993 - 1994 – Senior Architect – Ryder Nicklin, Newcastle.

1989 - 1992 – Architect – Ryder Nicklin, Newcastle

1988 - 1989 – Architectural Assistant – Faulkner Brown, Newcastle.

The questionnaire

What car do you drive?

A Toyota Prius – a hybrid petrol/electric car. I think most cars will end up like this, maximising the return from fossil fuels while we have them.

What's your favourite restaurant?

The Crown Inn in Humshaugh – just round the corner from my house.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Our cocker spaniel Max.

What's your favourite book?

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, or perhaps Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island – it’s a wonderful exploration of British culture, and our towns and country from the eyes of someone remote from it all.

What was the last album you bought?

Raising Sand, by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

What's your ideal job, other than your current one?

I would probably be an artist.

If you had a talking parrot, what would you teach it to say?

I would not have one – I would get rid of it!

What's your greatest fear?

I have two children, so I have concern for the state of the environment – I’m not obsessed with climate change, but there is an issue with depletion of resources, and pollution – the housekeeping of the planet.

What's the best piece of business advice you have ever received?

"There is no such thing as luck." I believe in that – you make your own luck, making opportunities by doing the preparation.

Worst business advice?

"Just trust me." I think you should explore everything fully and make your own judgments.

What's your poison?

Malt whisky – particularly Laphroaig.

What newspaper do you read, other than The Journal?

The Guardian and The Observer.

How much was your first pay packet and what was it for?

It was for delivering newspapers. Tommy Docherty and Bryan Robson were both on my round. Tommy Docherty got quite upset with me once when he got burgled while he was away, and blamed me for the newspapers piling up and showing he was not there.

How do you keep fit?

I’m a member of Green’s gym, but I ought to go more.

What's your most irritating habit?

I’m perhaps too enthusiastic about art, architecture and the environment, to the point of being boring to my children.

What's your biggest extravagance?

Probably buying Boden suits and ties – my sister works for the company.

Which historical or fictional character do you most identify with/admire?

The people I most admire are designers and engineers. I’ve recently researched Robert Stephenson, for my work on the Stephenson Quarter, and he was an extremely interesting character – combining creative genius and entrepreneurial drive.

And which four famous people would you most like to dine with?

I think probably classic 19th century heroes – Robert Stephenson again, John Dobson, Richard Grainger and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. When I was younger, Brunel was hugely inspirational

How would you like to be remembered?

Not for some time yet – but when the time comes, for the buildings and spaces I’ve contributed to.