Local architects have designs on Dott 07 festival

Dott 07 (Designs of the time 2007) is a year of community projects, events and exhibitions in North East England that explore what life in a sustainable region could be like and how design can help us get there. A partnership between regional development agency One NorthEast and the Design Council, Dott 07 enables communities and individuals in the region to collaborate with designers in realistic situations. The Dott 07 Festival will be part of North East England’s world class programme of events and festivals for 2007.

The Dott 07 Festival will bring together the results of the many Dott 07 projects and enable all of the people involved to share their experiences. The two week event will be open to the general public. It will not only celebrate the successes of Dott 07, but will also help people to find out how they could undertake similar projects for themselves.

Dott 07 programme director John Thackara said: 'One of the factors that clinched it for Xsite was their long-standing relationship with the worlds of theatre and performance.  They understand how important it is, in a special event like the Dott 07 Festival, to animate a space as well as shape it.

'Our dream for the Dott 07 Festival as a space is that it will inspire people to enter, and empower them, once inside, to engage with the stories and with each other on equal terms.  Xsite empathised with our insistence that the look-and-feel should be the opposite of a raucous trade fair or a self-obsessed art event.

'When people leave the Dott 07 Festival they should be inspired and empowered.  They should be able to return to their own communities and feel able to initiate projects similar to those that are part of Dott 07. That is part of the sustainable legacy that Dott 07 is determined to leave.'

Founded by Hartlepool born Tim Bailey, Xsite Architecture is a young firm that seeks to combine established design principles with artistic creativity and originality.  The practise has a specialism in work related to arts, culture and leisure. Examples include the Popolo bar-restaurant, a share in the Ouseburn Valley regeneration and a £7.5 million office building in Middlesbrough’s Digital City regeneration zone. The company has built a strong reputation among developers and construction companies in the North East, including work for Bellway on the Walker Riverside development

Tim Bailey, principal architect at Xsite, comments: 'With every project that we embark on, Xsite Architecture seeks to rise above the ordinary and create something special.  Because Dott 07 projects cover such a large number of very different topics, bringing the Dott 07 Festival to life presents us with some intriguing challenges.  Each project will need its space and a distinctive presence, but the whole event must be cohesive and tell a clear story.  Everyone at Xsite is passionate about this type of project and we look forward to getting started.'

For further information about Dott 07 and the Dott 07 Festival visit www.dott07.com.

For media enquiries please contact Saskia Sissons on 020 7420 5240 or saskia.sissions@designcouncil.org.uk

Notes to editors

1.  Dott 07 (Designs of the time 2007) is a year of community projects based in North East England that explore what life in a sustainable region could be like - and how design can help us get there.
2. Dott 07 is a partnership between the Design Council and One NorthEast
3. Dott 07 is the first biennial in a 10-year ‘Designs of the time’ programme of design innovation, developed by the Design Council, and taking place every two years in a different region or nation across the UK.
4. Dott 07 asks the question ‘Who Designs Your Life?’ and looks at six key themes: health and wellbeing, food and nutrition, school and community, energy and environment, sustainable tourism, and mobility and access.
5. Dott 07 is ‘user centred’ – it enables communities and individuals in the region to collaborate with designers in realistic situations.
6. Dott 07 projects address real questions and issues, using design principles to find solutions.
7. Dott 07 is being led by programme director John Thackara, renowned internationally for his work as director of design futures network Doors Of Perception, which encourages designers, technology experts and grass roots innovators to work together in new ways.  Executive producer is Robert O’Dowd, who has extensive experience in business and creative development.  He was a founding director of Classic FM and is now chief executive of Real Health (UK) Ltd and 180 Solutions (UK) Ltd.
   Dott 07 forms part of North East England’s world class programme of events and festivals for 2007
8. The Design Council is the UK’s national strategic body for design.  It aims to strengthen and support the economy and society by demonstrating and promoting the role of design in making business and public services more effective.  It is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry.
9. Dott is one of two national programmes of social and economic change driven by the Design Council.  Designing Demand, its national business support programme, rolls out in the region later in the year.
10. One NorthEast is the Regional Development Agency covering North East England.  It was set up in 1999 to transform the area through ‘sustainable economic development’ and to create jobs, prosperity and a better quality of life for residents.  It covers the region comprising County Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear.
11. Xsite Architecture is a young and vibrant firm that seeks to combine established design principles with artistic creativity and originality.  The practice has a specialism in, but is not exclusively devoted to, buildings related to arts, culture and leisure. Examples included the Tyneside Cinema, Popolo, a share in the Ouseburn Valley regeneration and Spennymoor leisure centre and art gallery www.xsitearchitecture.co.uk