City Hall, Sunderland

City Hall is a municipal building in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the Vaux Site, adjacent to Keel Square,^[1] and was opened in November 2021.^[2] It is the headquarters of Sunderland City Council.

City Hall
City Hall nearing completion in 2021
Location within Tyne and Wear
General information
Type	City Hall
Town or city	Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Country	England
Coordinates	54.907878°N 1.386170°W / 54.907878; -1.386170
Construction started	2019
Completed	September 2021
Cost	£42 Million
Owner	Sunderland City Council
Design and construction
Architect(s)	FaulknerBrowns Architects
Engineer	Cundall

History

The new building was commissioned to replace the old Sunderland Civic Centre which had been the home of the council since 1970.^[3] The council estimated that it would cost £5 million to refurbish the old civic centre and therefore decided to procure a new structure instead.^[4]

Construction of the new glass and steel structure started in November 2019.^[5] It was designed by FaulknerBrowns and built by Bowmer + Kirkland at a cost of £42 million.^[6][7] The development was financed by Legal & General as part of a larger programme of investment in the city totalling £100 million.^[8][9] The design includes two office blocks, one of five storeys and the other of six storeys, connected by a glass atrium, facing onto St Mary's Way.^[10] The total area covered by the building is 190,000 square feet (18,000 m²).^[11] The contractual arrangements envisaged some areas being made available to accommodate the housing provider, Gentoo, and the Department for Work and Pensions as well as Sunderland City Council.^[12]

Progress was delayed by two months because of the COVID-19 pandemic but recommenced in May 2020.^[13] However, the topping out of the building was completed by civic leaders in August 2020,^[14] and it opened to the public on 29 November 2021.^[2]

References

1. "How Sunderland's Vaux site is taking shape as City Hall reaches 'landmark' moment". Chronicle Live. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
2. "Exclusive - a first look inside Sunderland's new £42m City Hall". Sunderland Echo. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
3. "Why struggling English councils are spending millions on new offices". Financial Times. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
4. "Destruction of brutalist architecture in north of England prompts outcry". The Guardian. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
5. "Sunderland City Council spends £10,500 on 'impressive' cafe revamp at Civic Centre - despite preparing to move into £42 million new building". Sunderland Echo. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
6. "B+K wins £42m Sunderland City Hall contract". PBC Today. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
7. "B+K wins £42m landmark Sunderland civic hall". Construction Enquiror. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
8. "Investment group L&G makes £100m investment to trigger transformation of Sunderland". Chronicle Live. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
9. "Legal & general to transform Sunderland Skyline". North East Times Magazine. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
10. "Sunderland City Hall". Steelconstruction.info. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
11. "Footage gives stunning glimpse of progress on City Hall". Riverside Sunderland. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
12. "See Sunderland's new City Hall rise into skyline on old Vaux site". Sunderland Echo. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
13. "Work restarts on new Sunderland City Hall as lockdown eases - with 'safety first' promise from chiefs". Sunderland Echo. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
14. "Construction of new Sunderland City Hall reaches topping out". Northern Echo. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.