Biggest Contemporary Arts Venue Outside London

This Arts Council of England's National Lottery fund investment was opened on Saturday 13^th July 2002. Such a "cultural explosion", as it was then described, on the Gateshead side of the Tyne sits in the shadow of the historic Tyne Bridge and the Blinking Eye Millennium Bridge. The venue is seen as strategic to Gateshead, being a physical and symbolic catalyst for the regeneration of Gateshead's east side.

Acoustic Challenges

Accommodating "no noise" and "high noise" exhibits simultaneously;
Allowing exhibit construction without undue intrusion to adjacent exhibits;
Controlling sound transfer between galleries whilst maintaining use flexibility;
Mitigation of excessive reverberation;
Provision of flexible "installation" space;
Controlling sound transmission from café to adjacent areas.

Solution

Mark Bishop, AAD Director and project consultant comments... "Our approach to the scheme having made a site inspection was to listen intently to the ambitions for this massive volume, then to provide advice regarding what must, and what could, and what could not be achieved. We then described all the functional acoustic performance requirements for the many spaces, followed by concept and detailed design specifications using pragmatic design details that are understandable and buildable. As with so many successful projects, the design and construction teams worked very well together and we are delighted this landmark can live on. It's and ultimate recycling achievement!"

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