Vaux site......



Thoughts? Ugly, characterless eyesore in my opinion. All these years waiting and they come up with these grey boxes. Missing the opportunity to put some new, aesthetically pleasing architecture in the city centre. Making the same mistakes they made with the university and civic centre. Stupid, modern style buildings that will look really dated in 20/30 years.

New vaux buildings
 
Kermit said:
Thoughts? Ugly, characterless eyesore in my opinion. All these years waiting and they come up with these grey boxes. Missing the opportunity to put some new, aesthetically pleasing architecture in the city centre. Making the same mistakes they made with the university and civic centre. Stupid, modern style buildings that will liik really dated un 20/30 years.

New vaux buildings
Click to expand...

To be honest the architecture, in my opinion of course, is actually quite modest and simple therefore with some luck it won’t age compared to the current civic centre and possibly the Beam. The design is similar to office development up and down the country - look at the lumen or the spark in Newcastle,
The Lumen | Our Vision | Newcastle Helix
Cushman & Wakefield

Or R7 building and 4 Pancras Sq at Kings Cross:
Duggan Morris builds office with millennial-pink exterior in King's Cross
4 Pancras Square : Office : Projects : Eric Parry Architects London

You also have to remember that building design is a function of the buildings rent (not quite the issue for the new civic centre of course) which in turn has a bearing on how much the building can/should cost. If the council had design something or real architectural merit it at have cost twice as much and would have been criticised much the same. Presumably the building has been designed such that it could be sold or sub-let in the future.

Out of interest what would you deem to be interesting architecture? Not meant to be a criticism as architecture is very much subjective.
 
Osklen said:
To be honest the architecture, in my opinion of course, is actually quite modest and simple therefore with some luck it won’t age compared to the current civic centre and possibly the Beam. The design is similar to office development up and down the country - look at the lumen or the spark in Newcastle,
The Lumen | Our Vision | Newcastle Helix
Cushman & Wakefield

Or R7 building and 4 Pancras Sq at Kings Cross:
Duggan Morris builds office with millennial-pink exterior in King's Cross
4 Pancras Square : Office : Projects : Eric Parry Architects London

You also have to remember that building design is a function of the buildings rent (not quite the issue for the new civic centre of course) which in turn has a bearing on how much the building can/should cost. If the council had design something or real architectural merit it at have cost twice as much and would have been criticised much the same. Presumably the building has been designed such that it could be sold or sub-let in the future.

Out of interest what would you deem to be interesting architecture? Not meant to be a criticism as architecture is very much subjective.
Click to expand...

Im a big fan of the old style buildings. The ones that are built well and last a couple of hundred years. Ones like the old town hall that these clowns knocked down to build the ridiculous civic centre. Those style buildings were in vogue in the 60s and im sure similarly styled ones were built elsewhere in the country. That doesn't mean its the right way to go. The city centre is crying out for some character and identity. I wouldve liked to have seen them push the boat out a little bit. Get some statement pieces in there. The type that get photographed and people say, "ah thats a photograph of Sunderland". To be honest, that building puts me in mind of Gill Bridge police station. Boxy, grey and the pillars give the look of those funny looking windows on the police station.
 
Kermit said:
Im a big fan of the old style buildings. The ones that are built well and last a couple of hundred years. Ones like the old town hall that these clowns knocked down to build the ridiculous civic centre. Those style buildings were in vogue in the 60s and im sure similarly styled ones were built elsewhere in the country. That doesn't mean its the right way to go. The city centre is crying out for some character and identity. I wouldve liked to have seen them push the boat out a little bit. Get some statement pieces in there. The type that get photographed and people say, "ah thats a photograph of Sunderland". To be honest, that building puts me in mind of Gill Bridge police station. Boxy, grey and the pillars give the look of those funny looking windows on the police station.
Click to expand...

Those style of buildings are simply not affordable to be built in this day and age. I can’t think of anywhere which has built something like that in recent times, again I could be wrong). I’ve seen facade retention schemes but not new build.

I agree a building like the old town hall would be ideal however possibly not on that site as it is unlikely that any further building would mirror the same style as it would be unaffordable for any private developer. Perhaps somewhere like sunniside or even Holmeside but not the Vaux site.
 
Osklen said:
Those style of buildings are simply not affordable to be built in this day and age. I can’t think of anywhere which has built something like that in recent times, again I could be wrong). I’ve seen facade retention schemes but not new build.

I agree a building like the old town hall would be ideal however possibly not on that site as it is unlikely that any further building would mirror the same style as it would be unaffordable for any private developer. Perhaps somewhere like sunniside or even Holmeside but not the Vaux site.
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Indeed. People want lovely old buildings but are not prepared to pay for them. All we can do is preserve those we currently have.
 
EDGE said:
Indeed. People want lovely old buildings but are not prepared to pay for them. All we can do is preserve those we currently have.
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As well as that, historic buildings are often not fit for modern office accommodation or energy efficiency.
 
Kermit said:
Im a big fan of the old style buildings. The ones that are built well and last a couple of hundred years. Ones like the old town hall that these clowns knocked down to build the ridiculous civic centre. Those style buildings were in vogue in the 60s and im sure similarly styled ones were built elsewhere in the country. That doesn't mean its the right way to go. The city centre is crying out for some character and identity. I wouldve liked to have seen them push the boat out a little bit. Get some statement pieces in there. The type that get photographed and people say, "ah thats a photograph of Sunderland". To be honest, that building puts me in mind of Gill Bridge police station. Boxy, grey and the pillars give the look of those funny looking windows on the police station.
Click to expand...
You do realise that it was a Conservative council that knocked the Old Town Hall down don't you? I'm not a Labour supporter before you accuse me of being one.
 
There is so much progress going on in Sunderland and people are still whinging.

The council deserve praise for the rapid transformation of the Keel Square quarter which has included since then:

1) The fire station
2) The Beam (It doesn't matter if it is ugly, it's brought in jobs)
3) The new music venue
4) The ongoing town park
5) Keel Square hotel underway
6) Refurbishments of the Peacock and Dun Cow
7) New City Hall (you cannot blame them for wanting to bin the civic center)
8) Bid to replace crowtree with new retail units

This is an area of the city which having once had completely nothing going for it (bar the empire) is being completely transformed. I appreciate people's frustrations over the delay, but this really is showing ambition and progress.
 

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