About.

‘an atomic cot, something concrete and modern’

This was the brief given to young Newcastle architects Peter Ryder and Gordon Yates by their client …  for the design of her new abode.

Something Concrete and Modern is an ongoing project to document the buildings, people and plans that transformed the town and cities in the North East of England in the years following the Second World War.  Much of the development was for the industries: gas, steel and petrochemicals, all of which were booming in the post-war era and the region found itself with money to invest and designers and politicians full of optimism for the future.  This online archive is designed to catalogue the key projects and people that were influential during this period.  It is  funded by a grant from the Royal Institute of British Architects Research Council to document and publish information about this unique period in the history of the region.

The team would welcome contact from any interested parties who might be willing to share information or their own experiences of working in, or living in any of the schemes included in the archive, or anything else we might have missed!