A Practice Built Around People
Architecture gains its meaning through the lives it supports. Communities grow stronger in places where people feel welcomed and valued; every project is an invitation to strengthen the connections that help a place thrive.
Buildings That Nurture Belonging
We're privileged to work on projects that actively uplift communities. This sense of purpose fuels our commitment to excellence.
When a project reaches completion, we understand that the most important stage is yet to come.
A building only begins its life when the doors open and the community steps inside. How it settles into its surroundings, how it supports daily life and how it adapts to the needs of the people around it are the measures that matter most. We see this in the theatres that bring audiences together, the heritage projects that revive local identity, and the residential work that helps establish new communities.
How We Contribute
Our community involvement follows the same principles that steer our projects. For more than twenty years, we have supported Children North East, particularly Cherry Tree View, which provides families with temporary accommodation when stability is needed most. In the East End of Newcastle, our support for Sir Charles Parsons School, delivered through the Greggs Foundation, helps their breakfast club provide a dependable start to the day.
We continue to support regional institutions. These organisations carry the region's stories and reinforce the identity of the towns and cities around them. Our sponsorship of Beamish Museum and Darlington Hippodrome reflects the relationships we maintain long after a project's completion.
We fund architectural scholarships at Northumbria University and sponsor the Stephen Lawrence Scholarship at Newcastle University, helping future designers access opportunities that should never depend on circumstance. Through lectures, open studio visits, and mentoring at universities across the region, we invite students to visualise themselves in the profession.
Each year, we host the Doddie Cup charity golf day in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, bringing together colleagues, partners and local supporters to raise funds for MND research. We enjoy a bit of friendly competition, especially when it is for a good cause. Whether that be baking gingerbread with a class of Year 10 pupils, finding our footing on the football pitches or, on braver days, rowing dragon boats on the Tyne.
Time Given Back
Everyone at SPACE receives three days each year to support a local project of their choice. The activities vary, from hands-on volunteering to skill-sharing, but the intention remains consistent: to give something meaningful back.
If you know of a community initiative we could support, please get in touch.
Design That Reflects Community
On our website, every project includes a separate People and Place section. These additions are there to highlight the considerations our architects bring to each brief and the thought that sits behind every design decision. Much of this work has been part of our practice for many years. By bringing these insights into focus on the new site, we hope to give a clearer sense of the care that guides our work and the importance we place on the legacy each building leaves within its community.