Thomas Heatherwick’s Blue Carpet is a project of urban renewal and of building a new community space in the city centre of Newcastle. It is also intended to be a radical piece of architecture, the aim of which is to attract people to the area by way of interest and intrigue. The blurb promised so much: ‘a visually thrilling but completely functional urban space’ , ‘an intimate space for both performance and play’.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the Blue Carpet lives up to these promises. It’s certainly an interesting piece of work and I like the way the paving tiles react with the objects they surround - as is evident in the images. But, like many things, it just hasn’t lived up to my expectations.