Member Article

Local architects have designs on Dott07 festival

Newcastle based company Xsite Architecture has won the contract to design the look and feel of a major public event in North East England later this year. Beating off national competition, Xsite has been given the task of bringing to life the vision for the Dott 07 Festival, which will run from 14-28 October in NewcastleGateshead.

Dott 07 (Designs of the time 2007) is a year of community projects, events and exhibitions in North East England that explore what life in a sustainable region could be like and how design can help us get there. A partnership between regional development agency One NorthEast and the Design Council, Dott 07 enables communities and individuals in the region to collaborate with designers in realistic situations.

Dott 07 programme director John Thackara said: “One of the factors that clinched it for Xsite was their long-standing relationship with the worlds of theatre and performance. They understand how important it is, in a special event like the Dott 07 Festival, to animate a space as well as shape it. “Xsite empathised with our insistence that the look-and-feel should be the opposite of a raucous trade fair or a self-obsessed art event.”

Tim Bailey, principal architect at Xsite, said: “Because Dott 07 projects cover such a large number of very different topics, bringing the Dott 07 Festival to life presents us with some intriguing challenges. Each project will need its space and a distinctive presence, but the whole event must be cohesive and tell a clear story. Everyone at Xsite is passionate about this type of project and we look forward to getting started.”

For further information about Dott 07 and the Dott 07 Festival visit www.dott07.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .