In Tyneside, traces of a dream to build a prosperous and egalitarian city through pioneering architecture and infrastructure still linger. These ambitious ideals that took hold of the area – which spans from Newcastle to the coast in England's north-east – in the 1960s and 1970s are etched into the landscape with projects like the Civic Centre and the Central Motorway in Newcastle. While the outcomes remain controversial, the dream is being re-explored at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle, in hopes of building on that legacy to confront the challenges the city faces today.
Jack Napper's vision for a 'Linear City', originally presented in Northern Architect, July 1965
Metro sign at Monument Metro Station, early 1980s
Running until June 2025, 'Concrete Dreams' is a programme comprising an exhibition, an immersive installation, and a wide range of events exploring the past and future of Newcastle's urban transformation.
Owen Luder's Trinity Square, Gateshead, photographed Sam Lambert, 1967
The 6m-long Newcastle city model at the ‘Brasilia of the North’ exhibition
The exhibition, ‘Brasilia of the North’ (until 1 June 2025), delves into Newcastle’s ambitious 1960s and 1970s urban planning projects, drawing parallels to the then-emerging, futuristic Brazilian capital of Brasília.
Exhibits include the remarkable 6m-long Newcastle city model, first created in the 1960s to envision the city's modern future; the original architectural model for Gateshead’s Trinity Square Carpark, an icon of brutalist architecture; and a Metro ‘cube’ featuring typography by Margaret Calvert, renowned for her work on Britain’s road signs. Visitors can also explore a selection of maps, books, drawings, photographs, and films that highlight the complex socio-political forces that shaped Newcastle’s transformation.
Felling Swimming Baths designed by Napper Architects, c. 1964
‘Concrete Dreams’ exhibition space
The immersive installation, 'Alison’s Room: An Extended Reality Archive', offers a unique journey into the mind and work of Alison Smithson, a pioneer of brutalist architecture who, along with her husband Peter Smithson, redefined British post-war design (with buildings such as London's Economist Plaza, for example). Created by artist and researcher Paula Strunden, this life-sized virtual reality installation blends elements from the Smithsons' most influential designs with interactive objects, furniture, and even a talking cat that visitors can ‘pet’. As visitors move through Alison’s study, they are invited to engage with the visionary world of a defining figure in Newcastle’s architectural history in a fun, imaginative, and educational way.
Alison's Room: An Extended Reality Archive runs until 20 December 2025; booking is required.
‘Brasilia of the North’ runs until 1 June 2025.
-
Extreme Cashmere reimagines retail with its new Amsterdam store: ‘You want to take your shoes off and stay’Wallpaper* takes a tour of Extreme Cashmere’s new Amsterdam store, a space which reflects the label’s famed hospitality and unconventional approach to knitwear
-
Titanium watches are strong, light and enduring: here are some of the bestBrands including Bremont, Christopher Ward and Grand Seiko are exploring the possibilities of titanium watches
-
Warp Records announces its first event in over a decade at the Barbican‘A Warp Happening,' landing 14 June, is guaranteed to be an epic day out
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused lightLondon's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typologyA bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heartThis Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
-
A Medellin house offers art, brutalism and dramaA monumentally brutalist, art-filled Medellin house by architecture studio 5 Sólidos on the Colombian city’s outskirts plays all the angles
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticityWoodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality
-
What is DeafSpace and how can it enhance architecture for everyone?DeafSpace learnings can help create profoundly sense-centric architecture; why shouldn't groundbreaking designs also be inclusive?
-
The best brutalism books to add to your library in 2025Can’t get enough Kahn? Stan for the Smithsons? These are the tomes for you
-
The dream of the flat-pack home continues with this elegant modular cabin design from KotoThe Niwa modular cabin series by UK-based Koto architects offers a range of elegant retreats, designed for easy installation and a variety of uses
