@70 Launch
March 04, 2026
On Thursday, 26th February, friends of the practice joined the team at Spaceworks to mark the beginning of SPACE Architects’ 70th anniversary year and the launch of our @70 programme of events.
As the evening settled over Benton Park Road, Spaceworks began to glow. The building itself became part of the celebration, with the @70 mark projected across the façade and our double-height tree lit in SPACE orange. The atrium remained lively throughout the evening, with some guests arriving early to reconnect, while others joined later, keen not to miss the occasion before it drew to a close.
Partners, alumni, clients and colleagues stood shoulder to shoulder. For some, it was a long-awaited reunion; for others, a continuation of more recent collaborations. Canapés and drinks circulated as the room filled with a steady buzz of conversation, punctuated by laughter, handshakes and stories picked up mid-sentence, as though no time had passed at all.
Along one wall, a newly installed timeline designed and curated by our graphic designer Elliot Harris traced SPACE’s journey from 1956 to 2026. Spanning seven decades, it charts the practice’s evolution through landmark projects, defining moments and the people behind them. Guests paused at familiar buildings, pointing to photographs and recalling site visits and late nights spent working together to meet deadlines. Opposite, shelves displayed archival images of past and present team members, many of whom were in the room.
At one point during the evening, CEO Rob Charlton took a moment to address the room, reflecting on the longevity of the practice, the breadth of its work and the lasting impact its projects have had on communities across the North East and beyond. He acknowledged the people and partnerships that have shaped SPACE over the past seventy years and spoke about the responsibility that comes with carrying that legacy forward.
He also introduced the @70 anniversary programme, which will unfold throughout 2026. It includes Making Space, a lecture series at The Farrell Centre exploring place and culture; a special series of @70 Podcast episodes recorded in collaboration with Archipod; a summer celebration at Beamish Museum; and Our Gosforth, a pop-up exhibition and guided walking tours in the local area. The year will conclude with Beyond 70 at The Farrell Centre, a forward-looking discussion on the future of architecture in the region. Alongside these events, SPACE will also sponsor Live Theatre’s All at Sea production and support their 2026 Young People and Children’s Programme.
The evening continued in that spirit. Beneath the orange-lit tree, groups formed and re-formed as old project teams reunited and reminisced. Food and drinks circulated well into the night, with trays of brownies providing a fitting final treat. By 9.00 pm, as the last conversations began to draw to a close, guests said their goodbyes. The launch had achieved exactly what it set out to do: bring people together, in person, to reconnect and formally begin @70.
We are grateful to everyone who joined us to mark this milestone. The @70 programme will continue to unfold across 2026, celebrating the projects, people and partnerships that have and continue to define SPACE.
