Member Article

_space to be different for 50-year firm

A North East architecture and management firms has marked the close of its fiftieth year in business with a new name. _space is the new identity of Waring & Netts, originally established in 1957. The firm has also created new roles on the board to oversee a five year sustainable development plan.

Coinciding with its new look, the firm has also opened an office in Leeds city centre, but it has plans to grow this team and open several further regional offices in the next five years. _space moved into its new Spaceworks headquarters at Gosforth in October 2007.

Rob Charlton, new Chief Executive of the firm, said: “Changing our name from Waring and Netts to _space reflects the company’s vision for the next fifty years to create sustainable business with a national profile and a diverse service offer. We will continue to focus on the quality of space and its impact on the lives of those who use it. We are embracing the future, and will continue to challenge perceptions in order to create fabulous spaces in which people can learn, work, live and thrive.

“_space is a Northern practice with a national outlook that can now offer architecture and management, urban design and planning, surveying, landscape, and interiors within its growing team. The Yorkshire office is an exciting development for us, and forms part of our organic growth plan to become a fully national business by 2012 with several further offices around the UK.”

The practice is the firm behind Gateshead Schools PFI and the Bunny Hill Centre in Sunderland. It is also the lead architect on the planning application for the £250m regeneration of Newcastle’s Stephenson Quarter.

The firm’s expansion centres on its successful youth development policy, bringing young people into the industry from schools, colleges or universities, and to celebrate its _space rebrand it will be launching its own year-long youth enterprise initiative later this month.

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