Farrell Centre

SAVE THE DATE APL DEGREE SHOW 2026 ‘ENCOUNTERING NOW’ 11.06 Invitational Opening 12.06 Public Opening More details coming soon… student work by @aurarchitecture

This week's #farrellfridays celebrates Vauxhall Cross, also known as the MI6 building! 🕵️ Vauxhall cross sits on the banks of the Thames and is home to the British Secret Intelligence Service. Designed by Sir Terry and completed in 1994, the iconic building has also earned the nickname 'Legoland' for its striking angular forms and distinctive facade. The complex may be a grand presence on the river, but the interiors remain less conspicuous - with much of the floorplan and layout kept secret. We do know that the design features multiple security measures, including bomb-blast protection, triple-glazed windows and emergency back-up systems. You may have seen Vauxhall Cross in several James Bond films, and blown up twice - in The World is not Enough and Skyfall! Image credit: Richard Cooke

Did you know? 2026 marks forty years since the inception of the plan to regenerate Newcastle’s Quayside which had fallen into disrepair 📆 To celebrate this anniversary, we're sharing how glorious the Quayside is on a sunny Sunday 😍☀️ Visit the @farrellcentre on campus to find out more about the regeneration of the Quayside, which was spearheaded by @newcastleuni architecture graduate, Sir Terry Farrell! Link in bio for more details 👀 #NewcastleUniversity #NewcastleUni #WeAreNCL #NewcastleAlumni

A glorious #farrellfridays 🌞 Great North Museum, Newcastle University, 2003-2008 @farrellsarchitects undertook a significant overhaul of the Grade II* listed Hancock Museum, which now stands as the Great North Museum. The restoration project included an extensive internal restoration and a new three-story extension at the back. The extension houses special exhibitions, community spaces, a library, archives, and an education zone. The project brought together three significant museum collections that were previously housed in separate buildings. The project won the RIBA Regional Award for the North East 2010, and was Highly Commended for Interior Design at the World Architecture Festival in 2009. The new @gnm_hancock is the flagship natural sciences museum in the North East, and a cornerstone of the cultural quarter here on campus – alongside @northernstage , @hatton and of course, the Farrell Centre!

The new Side Gallery exhibition “Planned Space Lived Space” is now on at the Farrell Centre! It features a photograph of mine from Washington, as well as images by fellow InSide members Hazel Plater, Andrew Pounder (@artphotome ), David Sampele (@davidsampele.photo ) and Richard Simpson. There is also a selection of photos from the AmberSide Collection by Martine Franck, Lambton Visual Aids, Sally-Ann Norman (@sallyannnorman ) and Janina Struk. If you like my included photograph from Washington, you can buy a print of it! Link in my bio. You can head down to the Farrell Centre to see the exhibition on the second floor until 28 August 2026, Wednesday – Friday and every second Saturday of the month. @farrellcentre @amber_sidegallery (1) Me at the exhibition, photo by @chrisharrisonphotog (2) Photo by Hazel Plater (3) Washington. Top photo by David Sampele, bottom photo by me (4) My featured photograph from the exhibition, Washington, 2026 (5) A visitor discussing my photograph (6) The Killingworth selection of the exhibition (I love the top left photo by Martine Franck especially)

NEWS: C20 Society has recommended Grade II* listing for Sir Terry Farrell's Embankment Place (1986-91) in a consultation with Historic England, following a COI (Certificate of Immunity from listing) application from the building owner. Conceived as a Postmodern 'Palace on the River', Embankment Place was Farrell's breakthrough project and the most important of his three large-scale London commissions of the 1980s and 90s - Alban Gate in the City of London and the SIS Building at Vauxhall Cross being the other two. Occupying a key position on a sharp bend in the Thames, Embankment Place sits confidently in a family of landmark riverside buildings that span the Palace of Westminster (1840-76) to Somerset House (1776-1856); including Whitehall Court (1884-87), The Savoy (1886-89), Shell Mex House (1932), and the Ministry of Defence (1939-59). A 'groundscraper' development atop Charing Cross Station, it was the most prominent in a wave of air rights developments of the period that conjured office space over London rail termini. Early discussions with planners led to a tiered profile stepping down to the river, as at Vauxhall Cross. Structural engineers Ove Arup & Partners suggested slinging the office floors from bowstring arches, with their transfer structure minimising the number of columns penetrating the platform and brick vaults below. The resulting building found architectural expression in a barrel roof, a stylised nod to original Victorian station roof, and the 'egg in a box' form of the Royal Festival Hall across the river. Several examples of Farrell's earlier works are already listed: 📍 Blackwall Tunnel Vent Shafts, 1967 - Grade II (LCC Architects' Dept) 📍 125 Park Road, Westminster, 1968-70 - Grade II (Farrell/Grimshaw Partnership) 📍 The Herman Miller Factory, Bath, 1976-77 - Grade II (Farrell/Grimshaw Partnership) 📍Comyn Ching Triangle, Camden, 1983-85 - Grade II 📍 Henley Royal Regatta HQ, Oxfordshire,1986 - Grade II 📍 Cosmic House, Kensington & Chelsea,1979-85 - Grade I Images © 1. Carolyn Clarke; 2. Andrew Holt; 3. Dennis Gilbert; 4. Alan Williams; 5. John E Linden; 6 .Network Rail; 7. Farrells; 8. Richard Cheatle; 9. Phil Sayer

Join us on Monday 27th April for the launch of Gerard Ryan’s exhibition ‘Research with Records: Write music, not journal articles’ @farrellcentre @aplworkshop @newcastleuniapl @musicncluni RSVP through QR code, hope to see you there!

Delivering Affordable Housing: Design Quality and Standards Thurs 23 April | 18.00 - 19.30 The first in a new run of events as part of the Housing Standardisation in the North East exhibition at the Farrell Centre. This event brings together housing associations and architects from the North East to discuss how different approaches to delivering affordable housing shape the quality of the homes that are built. Led by Sam Jacoby and Dhruv Sookhoo, speakers will discuss affordable housing in the region and what is needed for housing associations and their partners to continue to improve the design quality and standards of new homes. There will also be an opportunity for a curator-led exhibition tour before the event, at 16.30. Free, booking required - see link in bio or our website!

We're so excited to be part of @thelateshows ! 🌙 Saturday 9 May | 18.00–22.00 Join us for 'Dolls Housing'! Join us for a unique housing development – for dolls! Influenced by our project, Housing for All, we’ll be creating a new living space for dolls and we’d love your contributions. We’ll be building miniature furniture, printing decorative wallpaper and constructing essential parts to make a fully-functioning estate – think elevated walkways and shared gardens! 🏡 #thelateshows

Orchard Yard Public Consultation 💭 Wed 22 April | 13.00-17.00 Thurs 23 April | 12.00-17.00 Designs have been revealed for a new residential neighbourhood in Newcastle’s Stephenson Quarter, and developer @igloo are inviting local people to review plans for ‘Orchard Yard’ in a 2-day public consultation at the Farrell Centre. Orchard Yard is a new residential neighbourhood that will deliver 78 sustainable homes as part of the wider Founders Place regeneration in Newcastle’s historic Stephenson Quarter. Designed by Newcastle-based acclaimed architects @faulknerbrowns , Orchard Yard will provide a mix of homes, including apartments, duplexes and family houses, designed to create a sustainable city centre community that meets the needs of a wide range of local people for the long term. The project is being delivered by sustainable developer igloo in partnership with @newcastlecouncil , and representatives from each will be at the consultations. Visitors will be able to view the proposals, speak to the project team and provide feedback ahead of a future planning application. No need to book, drop in and have your say! Image credit: Orchard Yards CGI by FaulknerBrowns

SIDE: Planned Space Lived Place 16 April – 28 August 2026 A display of work from the AmberSide Collection exploring northern New Towns and planned communities. Planned Space Lived Place brings together photographs and artworks exploring New Towns and planned communities in the North East, with a focus on Peterlee, Washington and Killingworth. Featuring works from the AmberSide Collection alongside work by InSide members, it looks at how these places have been imagined, built, used and remembered. Image credit: Washington in a Word…, 1984 ©Janina Struk courtesy of AmberSide Collection

This week's #farrellfridays 🐟 The Deep, Hull, 2002 @thedeephull is an award-winning aquarium in Hull designed by Sir Terry Farrell, opened in 2002 as part of the National Lottery’s Millennium Commission Project. The Deep is also a landmark centre for marine research, where an on-site team of aquarists look after the animals in The Deep's collection as well as carrying out research into the marine environment. The world’s only submarium, The Deep is a bold, unique structure which helped catalyse major regeneration throughout Hull. The architecture of the building reflects the marine environment, echoing waves or glacier-like forms. Materials such as coloured concrete, enamelled glass and marine-grade aluminium help mirror the sea and are a nod to Hull’s industrial past and growth as a trading port. The Deep played a key role in Hull’s successful ‘City of Culture’ bid in 2017, providing a focal point of celebrations, including displaying a projection of Hull’s history on its external walls.