Central Brighton Campus

ECE Architecture

Breathing new life into the Central Brighton Campus on Pelham Street through an ambitious two-phase retrofit that significantly reduced carbon emissions while keeping the busy educational campus fully operational throughout construction.

Our comprehensive redevelopment of Chichester College Group’s Central Brighton Campus showcases our expertise in phased retrofit projects. By addressing the college’s long-standing redevelopment ambitions, we’ve delivered a transformation that consolidates facilities, improves learning environments, and creates a sustainable campus fit for the future.

Phase 1: Creating a new campus identity

Phase 1 focused on consolidating the college into a single building through strategic new extensions and refurbishment of the existing Pelham plinth. Central to our design was the creation of a welcoming new entrance set within a large outdoor plaza, complete with secure bike storage and public access during daytime hours. The east wing houses professional-grade hair and beauty salons with improved public access, while the west wing delivers purpose-built studios and workshops for Creative Industries.

Working closely with Willmott Dixon, we navigated the challenge of previous failed redevelopment attempts that had faced viability issues for over 15 years. Our commercial approach balanced the client’s educational needs with financial constraints, enabling the disposal of redundant accommodation to fund the development. This phase established a strong foundation for the complete campus transformation while minimising disruption to teaching activities.

Phase 2: Tower transformation

The second phase focused on transforming the 1970s Pelham Tower through comprehensive over-cladding. This addressed poor thermal performance and airtightness issues that had plagued the building since its construction, resulting in excessive heating costs in the winter and summer overheating. Our design introduced a striking visual portal on the south face, illuminated at night to reference Brighton’s historic churches.

The environmental achievements of Phase 2 demonstrate our commitment to sustainable design. By retaining the substructure and superstructure, we saved an impressive 2,650 tonnes of carbon, reducing total embodied carbon emissions by 48% when compared to new build, equivalent to the emissions from heating 980 homes for a year. Our fabric-first approach incorporated improved glazing specifications and eliminated the need for solar shading devices. Combined with the introduction of heat pumps, these measures delivered space heating savings of approximately 41% and reduced gas consumption by 33%.

Working with Willmott Dixon, we tackled considerable technical challenges throughout this retrofit. The tower’s position atop a three-storey plinth created significant access difficulties, requiring meticulous planning. Our teams collaborated to overcome outdated building information, discovering that original plans frequently didn’t match the actual on-site conditions. This demanded rapid problem-solving to ensure the existing structure could safely support the new façade loads.

One of our greatest challenges was maintaining college operations throughout construction. The team meticulously scheduled works around the academic timetable, ensuring minimal disruption. The tower’s over-cladding process required careful installation of compartmentation fire barriers, insulation, secondary structure membranes, and new windows – all while maintaining a safe learning environment for students and staff.

This transformation demonstrates how thoughtful retrofit can breathe new life into existing structures while delivering exceptional environmental performance. By avoiding demolition, we minimised disruption, reduced air pollution, and created a revitalised campus that will serve Brighton’s educational community for decades to come – proof that our approach to regenerative architecture creates lasting value.