News: Live Theatre’s Live Works development wins RIBA National Award

Live Theatre’s Live Works development wins RIBA National Award 2017

Live Works, Live Theatre’s quayside development in Newcastle upon Tyne, designed by Flanagan Lawrence has been honoured with a prestigious RIBA National Award announced this morning.

Photo: Jill Tate

Live Works was developed by Live Theatre as part of a continuing diversification of the Live Theatre business model and designed by lead architects Flanagan Lawrence to complete the ‘missing gap’ in the façade of Newcastle’s Quayside, with its simple iconic addition complementing the grandeur of its neighbouring buildings and respecting the historic setting. 

Photo: Jill Tate

Live Works comprises of a new office building to provide an exciting place of workwith 14,920 sq ft of highly desirable premium office space over four storeys with superb river views and distinctive interior styles, finishes and lighting.  Single occupancy of the landmark Live Works office building was taken by pioneering North East visualisation specialist ZeroLight who deliver in-store and online visualisation solutions for automotive brands in August 2016 adding their innovative digital talent to the cultural and creative community growing around Live Theatre

The additional commercial income stream from its letting enables Live Theatre to grow and sustain its work in the production of new plays, developing creative talent, education and participation and rental income funds at least one play and education project each year for Live Theatre.

The scheme also includes renovation of a converted Grade 2 listed almshouse as Live Tales, the first creative writing centre of its type for children in the region,  and Live Gardena vibrant, public ‘pocket park’, which reopens and revitalises the only remaining Georgian courtyard in the city. 

The RIBA describes how the project “…secures the commercial future of a nationally significant theatre company in an impressively controlled and coherent mixed use city centre development. It preserves the historic quayside grain while providing a new type of engaging, informal and inhabited public space.”

Photo: Jill Tate

Jim Beirne, Chief Executive, Live Theatre, said: “We were delighted to work with Flanagan Lawrence to bring our ambitious Live Works project to fruition and delighted that it was recognised with three RIBA North East Awards for the building, for our approach to conservation, and for being a ‘committed passionate and visionary client’. Gaining national recognition is brilliant and compliments the national recognition we achieve with our work nurturing new writers and bringing their work to the stage.” 

Jason Flanagan, Creative Director at Flanagan Lawrence, added: “The Live Works project has provided us with a remarkable architectural opportunity to create a new courtyard for Live Theatre with the Children’s Writing Centre and a new outdoor performance space for Live Theatre. The new building links the Quayside and the public garden with an arcade along Trinity Chare. The sandstone façade completes the gap in the river frontage which has been empty for more than a hundred years.”

Live Works also recently won three RIBA North East Regional Awards; a RIBA North East Regional Award, the RIBA North East Conservation Award and the RIBA North East Client of the Year Award. It was a Civic Trust Awards National Winner in March and has been nominated for a British Construction Industry Award 2017. The project was also shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival, RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Awards North East, and Constructing Excellence North East.

Live Theatre is one of the UK’s leading new writing theatres. In additional to plays produced at its Newcastle theatre, its Olivier Award winning Best Comedy Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, originally co-produced by Live Theatre and National Theatre of Scotland is currently on in London’s West End following a successful national and international tour.

All national award winners will now be considered for the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize, with the ceremony to be held at the RIBA headquarters in London later this year.

Details: www.live.org.uk