Gateshead Council gave the Newcastle-based practice the go-ahead for a new green space, known as the Baltic Gardens, to be created on brownfield land next to the arts centre. It will be used for the venue’s ‘growing list of rich and extensive programmes’.

The Baltic Centre was created following an Ellis Williams Architects-led renovation of the Baltic Flour Mill in 2002, the original building having opened in 1950.

The centre, which has hosted award ceremonies for both the Stirling Prize (2002) and Turner Prize (2011), has remained almost unchanged in the last 23 years.

The Baltic Gardens project forms part of a wider plan to enhance the Tyne Derwent Way Green Corridor. It will include a mix of native planting to create an ‘immersive experience in an urban setting’ while also offering ‘panoramic views of Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s skyline’.

MawsonKerr visuals for the Baltic Gardens project

The work will add a new two-storey access point to the art gallery by adapting the Baltic’s existing energy centre, while the garden will span the existing service yard from the energy centre to the rear of the building.

Project architect for the scheme, Oliver Sturdy, said: ‘Architecturally the response is subtle, with a new lightweight access point referencing the proportions of the existing Baltic Flour Mill’s silos and windows, whilst its material palette speaks to the language of the Millennium redevelopment.’

Sturdy added that the project was part of a ‘‘wider inspirational capital plan’, which is currently looking for funding.

Cross-section of MawsonKerr’s Baltic Garden proposal – the new garden extension is to the right of this plan and at the rear of the building

Project data

Location Gateshead, South Shore Road
Local authority Gateshead Council
Type of project Arts/community/landscape
Client Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Architect MawsonKerr
Landscape architect Layer Studio
Structural engineer Narro
Quantity surveyor Thornton-Firkin
Ecology BSG Ecology
Ground investigation ERGO
Gross internal floor area 103m²
Gross External floor area 790m²
Planning application reference DC/25/00948/FUL