Jesmond Assembly
Jesmond Assembly offers a new, sustainable approach to the increasing demand for later living in Newcastle. The development combines 63 independent homes with communal spaces and gardens, arranged to promote social interaction. The new homes are located within the leafy neighbourhood of Eskdale Terrace, in the heart of the Brandling Village and South Jesmond conservation areas.
The project was designed to encourage social connection while balancing the need for independence and future adaptability. Alongside 1 and 2-bedroom and duplex apartments with private patios, balconies, and terraces, there are a variety of communal social spaces, including a residents’ lounge, library, bar, social kitchen, communal garden and a guest suite to accommodate friends and family.
FaulknerBrowns showcases our sensitivity to the local mores and environment. We aim to provide all of our residents with developments that enable and encourage an active and sociable retirement, and Jesmond Assembly fits with those aims perfectly.
Guy Flintoft
Director of Public Policy, PegasusLife
We looked at how Jesmond Assembly, as a residential typology, could start to stitch part of the terraced street-scape back together, and this led us towards a contemporary take on the Victorian terraced form, creating a sense of familiarity within the heritage context.
Patrick McMahon
Associate Partner, Architect
Conserving vernacular identity
Responding to the surrounding Victorian terrace typologies, an extruded gable form in red brick is complemented by zinc pitched roofs and refined façade detailing.
This new terrace responds in scale to the proportions of adjacent buildings, creating a sympathetic architecture that is an elegant and restrained reflection of the materiality and architectural language of the local context.
The facade design incorporates expressed chimneys to the gables, zinc dormer windows, and semi enclosed bay ‘shrouds’ at low level - contemporary interpretations of their Victorian neighbours which also create sheltered external patio and balcony spaces.
Arriving Home
Passing through the entrance threshold and into the central communal spaces engenders a sense of arriving home. From street to apartment, the Victorian influence carries through and ensures that both architecture and interior design are truly symbiotic. Inspired by the reduced ornamentation of the Japanese style of the later Victorian period, clean lines and sharp material tectonics create a timeless richness to the space.
Internal communal areas are defined by refined black feature metalwork, contrasted by warmer tones and softer materials such as timber, textured ceramics, and fabrics. This palette creates a series of luxurious backdrops to read a book, socialise with neighbours or entertain friends and family around the fireplace.
Beyond the social entrance and kitchen at ground floor, the first-floor library provides a quiet contemplative setting. Adjacent to this, the lounge with its central hearth opens onto an external garden which provides homeowners with a beautifully planted terrace area. The mix of communal and private spaces offers residents the familiar feeling of home with enhanced social connections.
As with all of our projects we aim to bring forward buildings that are socially driven and environmentally responsive. By working closely with the team at PegasusLife, we were able to craft a new piece of suburban architecture driven by wellness and community.
Lee McLaughlin,
Partner, Architect
