In Brighton, UK, the city’s college has endowed itself with a performing arts centre that is at once bold in its architecture and in perfect dialog with its surroundings. Its sculptural form, atypical of the surrounding buildings, is somewhat subdued, made more ‘domestic’ by the materials used for its gray brick and flint cladding.
The design is by the Dutch firm Krft, working with Nicholas Hare Architects of Brighton. The building replaces a series of additions to the neo-Gothic Brighton College building, which were made at different and uneven times. The building has four floors and includes several rehearsal rooms (for music, drama and dance) and a 400-seat theater: the rooms have been arranged to make the most of the available space.
The theater also houses a number of spaces open to the public and the city, including a café and lounge with large expanses of glass that put them in dialogue with the outdoors. The atrium houses a staircase that is used as a lunch gathering area, a lobby for the theater, and a rehearsal space.
The theater is located at the top of the building, allowing for a freer use of the spaces below. Its interior, in contrast to the project’s color palette – all of which revolves around shades of gray or light wood – is clad entirely in walnut, creating a warm and precious box. The use of flint on the facade is a nod to the cliffs that characterize this part of the British coast.
