While scores of companies are taking space in London’s Tech City, one national body is heading to the North-East to cash in on the region’s specialist knowledge of computer aided architectural design.
RIBA Enterprises, the commercial division of the Royal Institute of British Architects, is quitting the capital and moving its headquarters to Newcastle after naming the Tyneside city as one of the UK’s top centres for Building Information Modelling (BIM) — the technology which allows architects to use computers instead of drawing boards to create designs.
As part of the move the firm has acquired the freehold of the old Post Office on Newcastle’s St Nicholas Street from the Duke of Northumberland’s Hotspur Estatesand has invited a number of architectural practices to submit proposals for the building’s £5m remodelling.
A decision on the designs will be made in June with the work, involving a combination of refurbishment, extension and some new building, completed early next year. In addition to its own offices, the development will include the creation of an architecture gallery and other facilities to host industry and public events. There will also be a lecture theatre and social areas including a large open plan cafe bar.
“The construction industry is currently experiencing huge change and we have invested significantly in technology and knowledge to support this,” explained RIBA Enterprises chief executive, Richard Waterhouse. “We are expecting further major growth and now need to invest in our facilities.”
The architectural body will not only be increasing its office space from the 18,000sq ft at its old London premises to 26,000sq ft in Newcastle, but also adding 50 extra staff to the 180 it currently employs. “We are committed to providing fantastic facilities for our staff to support our ambition to become one of the region’s best employers.” he added.
Commenting on a recent Guardian feature which compared the North-East of England with the worst parts of Detroit, Waterhouse challenged the newspaper’s claim that while the region’s universities produced excellent students, job prospects were so limited they had to move out of the region to find work.
Newcastle, in particular, is earning a Europe-wide reputation for its BIM expertise and the organisation wants to cash in on this pool of talent to provide a range of services to the architecture and construction industries, from digital modelling of buildings to online knowledge hubs.
“One of the reasons we are here is because of the quality of students who are in the city and staying not just to work for us. Newcastle is fast becoming the UK’s centre of BIM excellence and expertise,” stressed Waterhouse.
