The 60 Second Interview.

This is the fourth of a new series of 60 Second Interviews, a regular opportunity to find out a little more about the projects and activities of one of the UK Architecture Centres.

Andrew Guest, Director of Northern Architecture spoke to Roseanne McLean from the Architecture Centre Network .

Where is Northern Architecture based, and what geographical areas do you cover?

Northern Architecture is based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and we cover the North East region – the area from the Tweed to the Tees and across to the Pennines, which includes 25 local authorities.

Can you tell us about your way of working?

In the next few weeks we are going to publish our new five year development plan for 2007-2012, which outlines five new headings under which all our work will take place:

• Championing good practice
• Raising aspirations
• Developing skills
• Engaging the public
• Providing advice

Our work covers the first four of these areas at the moment, and we will be including the fifth in the next few years.

These five headings support our overall objective, which is to improve the quality of the built environment in the North East. Our vision is for a North East of well-designed buildings and places and people to engaging with, expecting and celebrating this quality.

Is there a project that particularly demonstrates this at the moment?

One that best demonstrates this, and brings together championing good practice, engaging the public and raising aspirations, is the work we commissioned for a project in partnership with RIBA and the North of England Civic Trust. Together we run the biennial Hadrian Awards, which in 2007 gave awards to 7 projects. We commissioned film maker Daniel Elliot to make short films of each project. The films present the work in a calm, un-commercial way allowing the places to speak for themselves, using the voices of people who live, work and use the places every day. The films communicate the true value of design quality in a very accessible way. The films can be viewed on our website, and people can also buy the DVD direct from us.

From the beginning we have emphasised engagement with young people as the future users and developers of good design, and our Education Officer is now visiting schools to use the DVD as an ice-breaker for opening discussion, starting with a BSF (Building Schools for the Future) school, which is part of the Partnerships for Schools programme.

You mentioned that the fifth heading mentioned above will be developed over the next few years – which heading is this and how will you be undertaking the work?

That would be the ‘Providing advice’ heading – promoting good practice, advising on commissioning and perhaps running competitions, plus some 1-2-1 advice taking us nearer the actual business of development and giving us a more rounded role in the region.

What are you most excited about for Northern Architecture in 2008?

Our new Patrons Scheme, is giving us much better connections to the frontline of development in the region. Key private sector companies with the same commitment to design quality that we have have not only agreed to give us financial support over 3 years, but more importantly are talking to us of other ways of working together, from members of their staff getting involved in our work, to providing advice for us deriving from their knowledge of architecture and development, often on an international basis.

You seem to work with a wide range of people...

We do...we also run a design champions network, and work with local authorities and historic environment champions to support them. We are also working with One NorthEast, the RDA for the region, on our role in setting up a Design Review Panel in the future.

How can people find about more about Northern Architecture?

Our website is updated regularly with information about our work and what is going on in the region www.northernarchitecture.com; people can sign up for our monthly eBulletin to keep up with the latest news. We welcome interest from any one in our work, as we like to learn about what others are doing, both in this country and further afield.