New Arts & Business Centre Celebrates City's History

Hundreds of years of Sunderland’s history are celebrated in glass art work built into a new £6 million showpiece arts and business venue in the city centre.

thePlace is the latest addition to the regeneration of Sunniside – Sunderland’s historic city quarter. It will be officially opened on November 10.

And stunning glass louvres on the front of the award-winning building have been attracting a lot of attention.

They were designed by former Sunderland University student Kathryn Hodgkinson, who was commissioned by Sunderland City Council to transform the glass shutters into a work of art.

Each shutter contains a different reference to Sunniside and the surrounding area including architectural detail from some of its Georgian buildings. The louvres pivot individually to follow the sun as it moves through the sky and are used to shade glare into the inside of the building. Comprising over a thousand layers of imagery, the designs become more apparent as the louvres rotate throughout the day and are illuminated through the night.

Kathryn, 34, of Newcastle’s West End, said the regeneration of Sunniside was a key influence on the design as was Sunderland’s rich glass and ceramics heritage.

“The design responds to the idea and meaning of regeneration and the potential of the future. It acknowledges and commemorates the rich history and character of Sunniside,” she said.

“Children’s building blocks have been used to create a playful new city clad with intricate drawings of architectural details taken from historic buildings in Sunniside. The drawings have been twisted, turned, overlaid and repeated, taking the old and creating something new.

“Hidden in the imaginary city are real moments that have been frozen in time; blossom blooming, an elderly man crossing the road, seagulls swooping.”

thePlace, which contains exhibition and performance space, a café, new offices and meeting rooms, comprises a new build complex and six refurbished grade II listed buildings. It won the Best Office Development category at The Journal Landmark Awards earlier this month.
A series of innovative exhibitions are planned for the building, which is already home to new businesses.

Ben Hall, director of Sunniside Partnership – the organisation leading the area’s regeneration programme - said: “A key objective from the beginning of thePlace project was to collaborate with an artist to integrate an artwork piece into the building design.
“The glass louvre system located on the front of the building provided the ideal canvas for this opportunity.”
Cllr Paul Watson, chairman of Sunniside Partnership and leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Kathryn’s work beautifully commemorates markers of the past and it is fitting that these are exhibited on a building that is key to the regeneration of the city’s future.”
Sunniside Partnership was established in 2003 by Sunderland arc, Sunderland City Council, One NorthEast and English Partnerships, with additional support from TyneWear Partnership and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). thePlace development was also funded by Heritage Lottery.