Port Kitchen

ECE Architecture

Transforming a working dry dock into a thriving community destination whilst maintaining harbour operations – Port Kitchen showcases the power of architectural ingenuity and trusted partnerships.

Building on our successful partnership through previous award-winning projects like Lady Bee Enterprise Centre, we tackled Port Kitchen’s complex brief: delivering a destination café whilst maintaining essential dry dock operations on the same site.

This innovative project converted an end-of-life dry dock shed into a contemporary two-storey building housing Port Kitchen’s vibrant community/café space. The development also includes a 1,200sqft first-floor commercial area, which offers stunning harbour views, whilst ground-level operations continue serving visiting vessels.

Sustainable features include solar panels, reuse of an existing brownfield site, sustainable drainage strategy and local habitat-based planting, reinforcing Shoreham Port’s environmental commitments whilst creating new local employment opportunities.

Certain challenges demanded creative solutions. When structural reports ruled out retaining the existing steel frame, we redesigned it completely. Coordinating construction around active dry dock operations – with ongoing pedestrian harbour access – required meticulous planning.

COVID-related material shortages necessitated cladding strategy changes whilst maintaining design integrity. Building regulation constraints around first-floor occupancy meant collaborating closely with local building control to resolve escape route requirements.

Our solution balanced competing demands through intelligent floor planning, ensuring each user group – café visitors, dry dock workers, office staff – enjoys functional space and appropriate access.

The interior design celebrates the port’s heritage, incorporating historical artefacts that connect visitors to maritime history. When vessels occupy the dry dock, café guests enjoy unparalleled views of restoration work, creating unique experiential value.

Port Kitchen exemplifies our collaborative approach, transforming operational complexity into architectural opportunity. This fourth successful partnership with Shoreham Port Authority demonstrates how sustained client relationships enable truly innovative solutions.