Middlehaven continues to make waves with a showcase spot at a major European conference.
The flagship development is one of 12 under the spotlight this week at WaterfrontExpo 2007 in
Lisbon, Portugal.
The international case studies range from small community developments to massive waterfront
projects – with Middlehaven chosen for its bold mix of regeneration, leisure and commercial use,
cutting edge design and its strong focus on sustainable development.
The three-day conference features schemes from as far afield as St Petersburg in Russia and
Fremantle in Australia, with keynote speakers including renowned international architect Lord
Richard Rogers.
The Middlehaven vision will be outlined on Thursday (October 4) by Sean Egan, Middlehaven
project director for Tees Valley Regeneration, and Pete Halsall, managing director of developers
BioRegional Quintain.
Sean Egan said: “I’ve been to the Waterfront conference for a number of years as a delegate and
have told them about our project.
“It’s particularly gratifying that this year they have asked us to present Middlehaven as a case
study of best practice in emerging sustainable waterfront development.
“It clearly shows Middlehaven is now firmly on the map at an international level and people are
recognising that something special is happening here.
“The message of what we are trying to do is reaching far and wide – I’m delighted to be able
share our experiences and learn from other projects at key events like this.”
Pete Halsall added: “The fact that we’ve been asked to present Middlehaven as a case study
clearly puts us among the best developments in Europe.
“Middlehaven is in the premier league of waterfront regeneration schemes and this is a great
opportunity to showcase the potential of the project.
“We’ve said from the outset that Middlehaven would be the UK’s first ever major zero carbon
development, and of all the projects on show at Waterfront Expo, it certainly appears to be the
only one taking sustainability to the extent we are.”
Work is already underway on a £350,000 marketing suite at the site which will give a flavour of
what life at Middlehaven will be like.
Planning permission is in place for the first two cubes – designed by leading architects Will Alsop
and FAT – and work is expected to start in the coming months.
The cubes are part of an overall masterplan for the £200m scheme which will see 900,000sq ft of
environmentally friendly development in the UK’s first ever fully zero carbon project.
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