The houses are being built in Newcastle city centre

The House-City exhibition is taking place over four days on Newcastle's Grainger Street and builders are constructing identical 6.3m-high designs.

The "time-based sculpture" is the idea of German Wolfgang Weileder and is backed by artist Antony Gormley, who created Gateshead's Angel of the North statue.

The structures have the outward appearance of houses, but will simply be exterior shells of buildings.

The constructions, worked on round-the-clock, are taking shape beside the historic Grey's Monument in the heart of the city's shopping area.

As teams of builders create and then demolish them they are to be recorded by black-and-white time-lapse photography from specially placed cameras around the site.

These images, along with video film also showing the development of the project, are to feature as part of an exhibition at the Baltic centre for contemporary art in Gateshead.

'Architectural heritage'

Internet users will also be able to log on and watch the work take shape via a special web cam.

The project is part of the Arena project, a public art venture being supported by the Baltic and "mentored" by Gormley.

Weileder, a sculptor, said the siting of the project in this part of Newcastle was vital for it succeed.

He said: "It was important for me to get the exact location for my work and I felt that the site next to Grey's Monument was perfect.

"As Newcastle is rich in architectural heritage, I wanted to show that temporary and animated buildings can also make an impact on the city's identity and skyline."

A spokesman for Newcastle City Council said: "These kinds of projects contribute to Newcastle's reputation as one of the most creative cities in the world."