Stephenson House, Northumbrian Way

1969 by Ryder and Yates, famous North-East architects, for the Northern Gas Pension Fund. Building has been overclad with profiled sheeting which has hidden the crispness of the original design. Three bands of concrete cantilevered from hidden piers. Bands of windows deeply recessed. This building echoes Norgas House. The building was put forward for listing in 2011 but was not added to the list. English Heritage's Advice Report states that Ryder and Yates were committed to the modernist ethos and were influenced by Le Corbusier and Lubetkin. Their work is considered to be outstanding and innovative. Stephenson House demonstrates Le Corbusier influences. It is a straight forward but elegant design. It has broad horizontal bands of walling alternating with narrow bands of windows. The materials were chosen to react slowly to temperature change and windows reduced to minimum size to reduce the impact of solar gain. Formerly exposed concrete surfaces have later been clad with profiled sheeting which hides the crispness of the original design. The building lacks many of the sculptural features of Norgas House and the Engineering Research Station building. The only feature of note is the sculptural vents on the south elevation. The spacial complexity of Stephenson House is special. The building was designed around an open inner courtyard containing a blue mosaic pool, bridged by a ramp. Access was originally gained to the interior via four staircases and the ramp. These elements have been altered and the way in which the building is accessed has been re-modelled. The upper floor office space at Stephenson House might have been designed to be flexible by the use of innovative moveable partitions but these have been lost and the space is now open plan. LOCAL LIST