| Byker Wall | |
Tom Collins House, Byker Wall Estate |
|
|
Byker Wall
Byker Wall shown within Tyne and Wear |
|
| OS grid reference | NZ270645 |
|---|---|
| List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear | |
The Byker Wall is the name given to a long unbroken block of 620 maisonettes in the Byker district of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The block was designed by the notable architect Ralph Erskine assisted by Vernon Gracie, and was built in the mid-1970s. The Wall, along with the low rise dwellings built to its south, replaced pre war slum back-to-back housing. Its Functionalist Romantic styling with textured, complex facades, colourful brick, wood and plastic panels, attention to context and relatively low-rise construction represented a major break with the Brutalist high-rise architectural orthodoxy of the time.[1]
Its innovative and visionary design has earned it many awards notably the Civic Trust Award, the Eternit Award, the Ambrose Congreve Award for Housing (in 1980) and the Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design from Harvard University. The Wall has also been placed on UNESCO's list of outstanding twentieth century buildings.
In 2003 the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced a proposal to award the Byker Estate, of which the Wall forms a part, a Grade II listed rating as an example of outstanding architecture. In 2007 the Estate became a grade II* listed building (grade two star).
Refurbishment of the whole estate was commenced in partnership with Your Homes Newcastle[1], the social housing arm of Newcastle City Council. The work is being undertaken by Mansell[2], a division of Balfour Beatty. The work involves careful reinstatement of original features and colour schemes, using modernised materials where possible, while retaining the look and feel of the 1970s design scheme. For example, a new coloured aluminium window frame has been designed to allow for improved security and insulation, without compromising the visual impact of the buildings. The most recent phase of this was due to be completed in June 2008. A bid for PFI funding from the Homes and Community Agency (to the value of £80 million) was sought in June 2009 to fund the project, which was estimated to cost £210 million, but was rejected as it did not meet the criteria.
On March 16th 2005 the architect of the wall died at the age of 91.
The Byker Wall was infamous as the home of "Ratboy" a juvenile delinquent who hid in its heating shafts when running from police during the 1990s.[2]
It covers an area of approximately 200 acres and is home to around 9,500 people.
Existing housing was demolished to make way for the new development - although some old buildings including pubs, churches and swimming baths were retained in the new design. The move to the new development was also phased to help try to keep a sense of community alive.
The layout was designed to encourage cars to be left at the edges of the estate and public spaces were included to encourage social interaction. The area was landscaped with trees and gardens. Award winner There is a huge variety of housing. The Byker Wall, which varies from three to 12 stories high, is the most well-known part of the development but there are also a lot of low rise and individual houses. The outer Wall was designed to protect the rest of the development both from the wind and traffic pollution (at the time a proposed motorway was due to be built alongside it)