© Ryder Architecture Ltd

(Picture) Artist’s impression of how the new Newcastle City library will look when it is complete.

Different building, development and regeneration practice from the twin poles of Newcastle and Gateshead will be embraced and shared in the region’s inaugural North East Festival of Architecture.

The theme of ‘public space and urban design’ will be explored and celebrated through site visits and city tours, talks and lectures, aimed at both professionals and the public plus school and family workshops. Most events are free and they run from June 14 to 22 2008.

The nine-day programme is building on the legacy of 11 previous Architecture Weeks in the region and aims to bring thousands of people to understand better the relationship between buildings and the shared environment.

The new East Campus at Northumbria University. Photo © Ken Price

The programme involves the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle and Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead asking visitors to recreate in various ways their favourite North East buildings.

Other items on the agenda include talks from Will Alsop, who has been central to the Middlehaven regeneration project in Middlesbrough; speakers from architects, Urban Splash and property developers, Quintain who will be arguing that good quality design and architecture with a contemporary edge can drive regeneration in the Tees Valley area.

The festival is being organised by Northern Architecture, which is funded by the Arts Council and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).

"We chose to focus on the major hub of the North East – Newcastle and Gateshead," said Director of Northern Architecture, Andrew Guest. "We aim to go behind the scenes of the development that is taking place, and create opportunities to understand the processes that are shaping the North East of the future.”

Overview of the Tees Valley Regeneration Project. © Tees Valley Regeneration

The festival is also being backed by Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council and RIBA.

As well as attracting public funding, many local companies are sponsoring the event such as Faulkner Browns Architects. Neil Taylor from Faulkner Browns said: “As architects, we are concerned not only about the buildings that we design but the landscapes in which they sit. The festival is all about raising awareness of the quality of the environments in which we live, work and play.”

A full programme of events can be found at the Northern Architecture website.