Trinity Square is a £100m mixed-use commercial development designed by architects 3DReid on a prominent hilltop site overlooking the River Tyne, in the heart of Gateshead. It replaces a 1960s shopping centre and wellknown ‘Brutalist’ concrete multi-storey car park that featured prominently in the iconic 1971 film ‘Get Carter’.
New student village
As well as creation of a new vibrant town square ready for the influx of fresh students in Autumn 2014 – including shops, cafés, bars and restaurants – the redevelopment features a large 150,000 ft2 ‘Tesco Extra’ retail store with under-croft car parking for the whole town.
Above the store is a new student village for Northumbria University Newcastle, providing accommodation for around 1,000 people. The village comprises a sequence of residential blocks – surmounted with curved canopy roofs, terminating at either end with brise-soleils screens – rising up from a massive podium which provides access and a diversity of outside spaces for the enjoyment of residents.
Elevated landscape
Zoontjens, working in partnership with Pitchmastic PBM for the main contractor Bowmer and Kirkland, was responsible for realising the landscape architect’s and planners concept of a complete ‘elevated landscape’ podium across the roof of a major new retail development, providing a range of level external spaces serving new student residences. At the same time, efficient surface water drainage, source control and attenuation were required, delaying discharge to the sewer, and service runs accommodated below the podium. Zoontjens and partners assisted with the detailed design, procurement and installation of the complete podium, working within the challenging constraints of a major building project.