SUNDERLAND, UK
ONGOING
Vaux occupies a strategic location in the city of Sunderland, once the home to a famous brewery. Now defunct, the regional development agency, Sunderland Arc, believed this important site on the edge of a river should be claimed back for the city. The masterplan, to designs proposed by Piers Gough, and developed by Andrew Daws and his team, reunites the town with the river.
Sean O’Callaghan, Richard Buckley, and David Romero created some of the most arresting images of the proposal, designed to project a future vision, and boost Sunderland’s appeal.
The masterplan added a spectacular new public square to the city center under a roof designed by Schlaich Bergermann, a sensible road layout, access to parks and the cliff edges, and opportunities for 1,000 apartments, 50,000 m2 offices, 10,000 m2 retail and leisure opportunities, to an estimated Contract Value of over £300 million. Planning was awarded in 2005, but changes have been made to the masterplan, and it remains to be seen whether Sunderland can maintain its design integrity.
Andrew Daws was Design Partner at CZWG from 2006-9. He was responsible for the design and delivery of the Vaux Masterplan.
