'It’s more than just a building' - the man who designed THE BEAM office development on Sunderland's Vaux Brewery site explains how he hopes it will help to regenerate the city

The man behind the first new building on Sunderland's former Vaux brewery site has outlined his vision for the future.
Simon Doody outside THE BEAMSimon Doody outside THE BEAM
Simon Doody outside THE BEAM

Simon Doody has designed high high profile buildings across the globe but there says there is’s something special about Sunderland’s newest landmark, THE BEAM.

Simon's practice, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, has designed the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, re-purposed London’s Alexandra Palace as well as the South Bank Centre, and designed a number of offices including the National Trust headquarters in Swindon.

Simon inside the impressive buildingSimon inside the impressive building
Simon inside the impressive building
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But it is THE BEAM he believes could have ‘the largest social and regeneration impact yet.’

Standing four storeys high, the building is set to be the North East’s only new city centre office development to complete this year and is the first phase of the city’s largest regeneration project in decades.

The £20million building will provide mixed-use Grade A office space in the heart of the city, and will include two ground floor open-plan highly flexible spaces which will accommodate retail or leisure enterprises overlooking the River Wear and Wearmouth Bridge.

It is hoped the building will capitalise on the city’s growing reputation as a place to do business, after it was singled out as one of the best places in the UK to start up an enterprise.

The stunning view downriver from The BeamThe stunning view downriver from The Beam
The stunning view downriver from The Beam
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"As a practice, we work across a range of sectors from healthcare to residential, education to cultural, and from new build to creative use, but I think if you’re looking at projects thatare real catalysts for redevelopment, then this is one of our most significant," said Simon.

"When you look at the possibilities of the wider VAUX site, not just this project, the benefits and the opportunities that the city will reap are immense. It’s a major regeneration project which, once complete, will extend the footprint of the city centre, create thousands of jobs and also spawn high-quality leisure, retail and housing developments which will transform the city’s offering.”

Once work is completed in the Spring, THE BEAM will accommodate businesses looking for contemporary working environments from as little as 2,500 sq ft (a 20-person office) up to the entire floorspace, meaning it the building could be home to anywhere from one to a dozen businesses.

It was not just the economic impact which caught Simon's eye, but also the creative freedom he was given when designing the building and the rich heritage of the city and its people from which he could draw inspiration.

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"A lot of people probably won’t notice this at first glance," he said.

"However, THE BEAM has been meticulously designed to pay homage to the city’s culture, from the Wearmouth Bridge to the city’s maritime and lighting heritage.

"The first thing we considered was the position of the building and its proximity to the bridge.

"The bridge is built on these glorious Victorian structures and, coupled with its heavyweight girders and trusses, this informed how we started to think about the front of the building which looks out over the Keel Line.

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"Another key influencer was the site’s shipbuilding heritage which inspired the horizontal ribbon windows which, because of how they’re designed, boast stunning panoramas with breath-taking views of the sea, the port, the lighthouse, the stadium and the newly erected Northern Spire.

"Then, as we considered the colour of the building, we looked at the brass and bronze castings used in maritime metalwork - and also the vats and vessels used in the brewing processes at the old Vaux Brewery - and we wanted to bring that through with the warm, bronzey colour materials which have been used in the external facade.

"As an architect, I’m a firm believer that buildings should be locked into context and that members of the public feel some sort of synergy and ownership of them. It’s important that people feel a connection with their city and I hope THE BEAM echoes this notion."

Developer Siglion has developed a masterplan that will deliver spaces with wellbeing at their heart, in which people can ‘live well, work well and feel good’.

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THE BEAM's position on the edge of the river gives stunning views, and floods the building with natural light, while the internal courtyard allows natural ventilations. The links between the site and the seaside is also a major asset that Siglion hopes will prove attractive to investors, as well as THE BEAM’s position in the city centre, with easy access to the city’s cultural and leisure venues.

Siglion has also brought in a number of local businesses to work on THE BEAM. One example is Sunderland-based Desco UK, an award-winning electrical and mechanical design practice which has worked closely with Simon and his team to bring to life the vision they had for the building as well as offering advice on the site-wide energy strategy, BREEAM assessment duties and specialist lighting designs.

"We always try to work on buildings inside-out so this whole idea of THE BEAM offering something new as a workplace was vital and the themes around wellbeing were especially important,” he added.

"This has affected and informed how we have developed the concept of this building, everything from the natural ventilation through to the courtyard in the middle which is an external, shaded and protected amenity space. It’s all about how we create a flexible internal environment which tenants can use in a variety of different ways.

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The courtyard is especially unique as it’s an open-air space, protected from the wind on one side by glass, which will lend itself perfectly to staff meetings, lunch breaks and even events which could be anything from product launches to yoga classes, evening wine tasting sessions and even musical performances - it’s adaptable for lots of different uses.

"It’s like no other Grade A office space I’ve worked on. It’s a really different offer to not only other workplaces in the city but the wider North East and has been built to cater for businesses from an array of sectors.

"It’s more than just a building, it’s the sign of a city which is reinventing itself from a post-industrious behemoth to a dynamic, forward-thinking city of the future, and we’re delighted tohave played a role in this transformation."

To find out more about THE BEAM, visit http://the-beam.co.uk or follow @thebeamvaux on Twitter.