spanish city, whitley bay
client: adp architecture
brief
Spanish City, once an icon of the Whitley Bay coastline, was returned to its former glory by ADP Architecture in 2018 after decades of disrepair. Everything was renovated, from flooring to lighting.
I was briefed to photograph the building before work began to document the fabric of the building as it was stripped back, and to later capture the collection of Grade II listed seaside buildings and grounds after extensive restoration. I had to pay attention to how the building flows to house a range of dining and leisure facilities, with the famous dome being a focus.
execution
For this project, I wanted to capture the history of the building as a public leisure space with creative images that breathed life into the construction. It’s a building made for people and communities, not a bare structure, which is demonstrated through the photographs.
After the walls and ceilings had been opened out, I photographed the original bones of the building in black and white. This brings a sense of atmosphere to the image; creative, yet illustrative.
Before opening to the public, I had access to the completed building to photograph it with controlled numbers. I visited several times with selected members of the public to show it in use while highlighting key architectural features. I later captured Spanish City being used freely by the community to show its capacity for a high number of visitors.
outcome
The images have been used in multiple architectural award entries and it has been awarded several top prizes including:-
- Fx Award: Best Mixed Use Development – Winner
- Construction News Awards 2019: Project Of The Year (Under £20m) – Highly Commended
- Constructing Excellence Cene Awards 2019: Project Of The Year – Highly Commended
brief
Spanish City, once an icon of the Whitley Bay coastline, was returned to its former glory by ADP Architecture in 2018 after decades of disrepair. Everything was renovated, from flooring to lighting.
I was briefed to photograph the building before work began to document the fabric of the building as it was stripped back, and to later capture the collection of Grade II listed seaside buildings and grounds after extensive restoration. I had to pay attention to how the building flows to house a range of dining and leisure facilities, with the famous dome being a focus.
execution
For this project, I wanted to capture the history of the building as a public leisure space with creative images that breathed life into the construction. It’s a building made for people and communities, not a bare structure, which is demonstrated through the photographs.
After the walls and ceilings had been opened out, I photographed the original bones of the building in black and white. This brings a sense of atmosphere to the image; creative, yet illustrative.
Before opening to the public, I had access to the completed building to photograph it with controlled numbers. I visited several times with selected members of the public to show it in use while highlighting key architectural features. I later captured Spanish City being used freely by the community to show its capacity for a high number of visitors.
outcome
The images have been used in multiple architectural award entries and it has been awarded several top prizes including:-
- Fx Award: Best Mixed Use Development – Winner
- Construction News Awards 2019: Project Of The Year (Under £20m) – Highly Commended
- Constructing Excellence Cene Awards 2019: Project Of The Year – Highly Commended
feedback
“Some spectacular photos of our Spanish City project, which portray both the vast scale of the seaside setting, but also the finest, smallest detail – all in beautiful light that captures the essence of the place.”
Roger FitzGerald, Chair of ADP
