Creative Central NCL 2025 'Call for Ideas' workshop

Last week we took part, for the second year, in Creative Central NCL’s Public Realm ‘Call for Ideas’ workshop. The workshop invited designers to propose temporary or permanent culture-led activation for one of a selected group of public realm areas within the city. Working with students from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, across a range of courses and year groups, the goal was to experiment with site-specific case studies that test creative approaches to urban transformation.

Mosedale Gillatt Architects understand the need to support active learning within the workplace and we worked with our team of 3 students to develop their understanding of what is required to participate in a professional competition and develop their skills. Working within our chosen site of Waterloo Square, we guided them through a deep analysis of the site, spatial planning and developing a proposal which they could then present to their colleagues and the wider architectural profession who gathered at Newcastle Contemporary Art on Thursday afternoon. Discussion was expansive over the range of presentations, and all the students who took part really showed how they had engaged with the process. The schemes presented were engaging and exciting, offering real opportunities for designs that could be taken forward across the Creative Central area.

Our thanks to the Creative Central team for organising such a great event, and our compliments go out to all the students who took part in the workshop – Well done Sophie, Emmi and Dalya, your hard work really paid off!

Creative Central NCL is a place for artists, creative professionals and cultural organisations to thrive in Central Newcastle. This project will further establish the area in the west of Newcastle City Centre as a vibrant creative district that fosters the growth of artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and creative businesses, supporting a distinctive flourishing cultural and creative sector. This place is already home to creative businesses and venues, it also has untapped potential in terms of empty and listed buildings, public spaces and heritage assets and is a natural gateway into the city centre – Creative Central NCL