Set within the Lower Ouseburn Valley Conservation Area, rich in industrial history, Quay Timber is the redevelopment of a former timber yard into high quality sustainable housing, comprising 51 apartments, 2 small business units, landscape courtyard and onsite below deck car parking provision with discreet service areas.

The 0.26ha site is located in the valley bottom; a densely built-up area, with complex topography dividing the space into two plateaus, bordered by roads to the north and east, housing to the south and the Ouseburn’s riverside walkway to the west.

The project design team of xsite architecture, s h e d engineers and ONE Environments are all based in the Ouseburn area and familiar with the community of the Valley as well as its character and stakeholders.

The new buildings look to maximise views in and out of the site which has been designed to have outward and inward facing aspects, creating a unique sense of place and a welcoming and accessible courtyard at its heart.

On Byker Bank, the ground floor small business units will act as ‘shop’ frontages animating the streetscape, with semi-mature street tree planting to compliment the building frontage and sit seamlessly into the existing urban landscape; creating a softer and layered transition leading to publicly accessible courtyard.

Providing an attractive area for residents as a shared social space with planting, seating and feature lighting. To the west a ‘town house’ terrace fronts onto the Ouseburn towpath, providing residents with the light, views and space of the river habitat corridor, whilst maintaining a higher vantage point offering privacy from passers-by.

CLIENT: McIver Homes
LOCATION: Ouseburn, Newcastle
PARTNERS: xsite architecture, s h e d
SERVICES: Landscape Architecture S1-S6
PROGRAMME: January 2019 to ongoing