Planning permission was received on Friday 30 September for designs by Red Box Design Group for the conversion of the iconic ‘Art Deco’, ‘Listed Grade II’ Newcastle Co-operative Building to hotel, retail and leisure uses. The complicated mixed-use project has many parallels with Red Box’s own offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, which were converted from …

The recent comment from David Cameron that we do more business with Ireland than we do with China – principally because of poor air connections highlights the fact that some of the world’s largest potential business communities remain largely out of reach for the UK. Some cities in the world grow from small settlements strategically …

One imagines that it was with mixed emotions that the architects of the future have recently opened their A-level results, Given they have five years at university ahead of them it is inevitable that they will catch the onset of nine thousand pounds a year tuition fees, and it remains to be seen what type …

Construction of the landmark £9.9m Northern Design Centre in Gateshead today reached an important milestone with the topping out of the structure. Leader of Gateshead Council, Mick Henry CBE and redboxdesign group chairman Alan J Smith OBE DL carried out a ‘topping out’ ceremony to formally mark the completion of the brand new building’s roof. …

A trade mission to encourage China to look to the North East has visited international architectural practice Newcastle-based redboxdesign group. VIPs from Hunan Province were shown the practice’s award-winning headquarters by Chairman Alan J Smith who also hosted a special lunch in their honour. Alan J Smith OBE, DL said: “China is the world’s fastest …