Behind the Build, Durant Hall:
Northumbria Alumni’s experience returning to lead transformation of new university space.
Durant Hall sits at the heart of Northumbria University’s city campus. Once a church and now Grade II listed, it is one of the University’s most significant refurbishment projects in recent years – transforming the space into a 400-seat lecture and events venue that blends heritage character with modern teaching requirements.
The ambition is long-term: reserve what gives the building its character while ensuring the new, assessable space can serve students and staff for decades to come.
For Joanna, our Head of Interior Design, the project carries a personal connection. She studied Interior Design at Northumbria and is one of several alumni working on the scheme. Returning to redesign a building that formed part of her own student experience brings a different depth to the work.
Joanna Routledge, Aptus Lead Interior Designer, at the entrance to Durant Hall.
Scaffold enabled access to the roof was possible for the first time in decades.
“It’s a building I walked past almost every day as a student,” she says. “Coming back to shape its future feels both familiar and completely new.”
Joanna Routledge,, Head of Interior Design, Aptus Construction
Heritage bathroom tiles being restored.
Designing with heritage in mind
Heritage buildings demand thoughtful, considered design. Every change must respect what already exists. Durant Hall stands historically as the last built art deco building in Newcastle. To pay legacy to that, the team took a heritage first approach, beginning by identifying the elements that define its character: the globe chandeliers, the geometric Art Deco line details, the stained-glass windows, the parquet floors and original tiling. These features anchor the building’s identity – and everything new had to sit comfortably alongside them.
Accessibility shaped much of the early design work. The existing layout could not support modern use: the raised floor created level changes, circulation routes were restricted by staircases, and the WCs needed updating. The team proposed level access throughout, new accessible WCs on each floor, and a passenger lift using the footprint of the original dumbwaiter shaft. The goal was to create accessibility that feels integrated rather than added on.
Original Parquet Flooring
Original Staircases protected with hoardings
Making heritage work for teaching
Two technical considerations influenced the interior strategy more than any others: acoustics and lighting.
Durant Hall’s height and volume create beautiful resonance – but also reverberation far beyond what a teaching space can tolerate. Working with Apex Acoustics, the team developed a plan using carpet tiles, upholstered seating, discreet wall panels painted to blend with surrounding surfaces, and ceiling rafts positioned to protect key sightlines. Initial reverberation times were around 1.7 Tmf/S in Hall 1; teaching requires closer to 1.0. Every material helped bring the space into balance.
Lighting required similar care. Original chandeliers and wall lights were retained and upgraded, forming part of a scheme built around flexible lighting modes for lectures, discussions and events. At certain times of day, stained glass casts colour across the hall — a quality the team worked hard to preserve. Where daylight presented glare issues, blinds were introduced with minimal visual impact.
Joanna and design colleague Polly collaborating on site.
Shaped by collaboration
Joanna’s design approach is grounded in her training at Northumbria: understand the function, then shape the form. She credits the course for teaching her to slow down before rushing to aesthetics and to explore design challenges with curiosity. That connection continues on this project. Working closely with the University’s estates team, AV specialists and on-site delivery teams, the design evolved through constant collaboration. AV requirements shifted once delivery partners were involved, leading to a move towards large, fixed screens for improved sightlines. Heritage constraints and structural realities shaped what could be removed, retained or reimagined. Even small discoveries – from historic fabric to unexpected acoustic effects – informed decisions.
What students and staff will gain
The transformation will give students a space that feels inspiring and usable in equal measure. Large lectures will run more smoothly. Events will feel more polished. Accessibility will be seamless. And the building’s heritage will remain visible in every detail.
For staff, improvements in lighting, acoustics and movement through the space will make teaching more intuitive. The project aims to respect the past while supporting the practical needs of modern learning.
Heritage buildings often carry emotional weight for local communities. By bringing Durant Hall back into everyday use, the project offers both preservation and purpose – ensuring the building continues to serve the University for generations.
Heritage features were protected and retained.
Original Durant Hall interior signage
A final reflection
“I’m proud to be an alumna,” Joanna says. “The course shaped me as a designer, and returning to design for Northumbria feels like giving something back. I know exactly how students use space, because I’ve been in their position.
It’s special to play a small part in their experience now.” Several members of the Aptus team also studied at Northumbria, creating a genuine alumni link between the University and the people now shaping its campus. Durant Hall is still evolving on site, but its purpose is clear: a space rooted in history, designed for the future.
“I’m proud to be an alumna,” Joanna says. “The course shaped me as a designer, and returning to design for Northumbria feels like giving something back. I know exactly how students use space, because I’ve been in their position. It’s special to play a small part in their experience now.”
Joanna Routledge, Head of Interior Design, Aptus Construction