HOK on arena-led regeneration at Future Cities Forum

Above: River Tyne panorama (courtesy Invest Newcastle: Newcastle Gateshead Initiative)

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Kar Paik Soon, Project Lead for Newcastle Gateshead Quays, will be joining this week's 'Healthy Cities' discussion which will include sports and arena-led regeneration.

NewcastleGateshead Quays is a new arts and leisure destination under development in the north east of England. Sitting on the banks of the River Tyne and framed by views of the historic twin cities of Newcastle and Gateshead, the £260 million project includes a new 12,500-seat arena, an adjacent conference centre, a dual-branded hotel, and large areas of public realm and performance space.

HOK led the master planning for multi-site development and is designing the arena, conference centre and public plazas. Comprising more than 585,000 square feet, the development continues the transformation of the Gateshead and Newcastle waterfront from its industrial past to a modern destination for recreation and culture. The project will sit among some of the UK’s most distinctive cultural and civic spaces, including the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Millennium Bridge and Sage Gateshead.

Nestled within the existing riverfront landscape, the development honours the surrounding civic spaces and natural geography. Pedestrian-friendly connections will open new accessways, linking NewcastleGateshead Quays to the town centre and the new Baltic Quarter to the waterfront.

HOK designed the arena, the development’s anchor component, to be highly flexible, allowing it to host music, cultural and sporting events as well as conferences and exhibitions. Its unique seating bowl features fixed, retractable and removable seats offering multiple configurations and the ability to accommodate audiences ranging from 1,500 to 12,500 people.

The adjacent conference centre comprises more than 67,800 square feet of exhibition and convention space with expansive views of the riverfront. Plazas surrounding both the arena and conference centre allow for spacious outdoor gatherings. Once complete, NewcastleGateshead Quays is expected to create nearly 2,000 jobs and generate £60 million annually for the local economy. Venue management firm ASM Global will operate both the arena and exhibition centre, which could host as many as 300-plus events per year and attract more than 750,000 visitors.

Ask:PATRIZIA, a consortium of Ask Real Estate and PATRIZIA UK, is developing the project with Gateshead Council. Sir Robert McAlpine has been appointed to build the project with a Phase 1 opening scheduled for late 2023. Planit is the landscape architect for the project. AHR Architects is designing the hotel.