County Hall Refurbishment

SPACE Architects has successfully updated the Northumberland County Hall, a key public building in the North East of England. The building, built in the 1980s, has been remodelled to meet the current and future needs of those who visit and use the building. The project was completed in collaboration with Northumberland County Council's in-house architectural project team.

SPACE led the design to renovate the front-of-house facilities providing a welcoming public reception, meeting and leadership suite, coroner's court, restaurant and landscape areas. We also provided interior design and technical support for the Council design team's refurbishment of the existing workplace to support agile working for up to 1300 employees.

David Wise, Director at SPACE Architects, said:"Northumberland County Council articulated the challenges faced by an ageing, disjointed building.

Considering the building's uses, how it functioned, and our client's aspirations, the new facilities now provide a collaborative and connected work environment to foster agile, flexible working.

Extensive consultation with the Council's management, executive and political leadership, allowed us to understand the cultural and operational aspirations.

Through the use of virtual reality, we engaged with stakeholders to demonstrate spatial concepts, succeeding in communicating the complex demands of the project."

The project has made way for a more inclusive and accessible version of County Hall; a space built with all members of the community in mind. And furthermore, the redevelopment has also given attention to a modern audience with a new exceptional visitor experience.

The publicly accessible reception has been expanded with an archive area, exhibition space, and seating for informal meetings. This now multi-functional area also provides a raft of meeting rooms behind the reception and other updated spaces upstairs, offering functional, modern workspaces for the Council's political leaders.

SPACE worked collaboratively with the Council's architectural team to provide creative interior design input for the refurbishment to further ensure the delivery of these now high-quality agile working environments.

SPACE has maximised the existing building and seamlessly brought life and light back into County Hall's public and private spaces.

The Northumberland County Hall reception has now been reopened to the public and hosts the County's digital archive service, temporary exhibitions, and a restaurant.