Brief Encounters

10 April 2024

Feilden Clegg Bradley’s refurbishment of Brighton Dome’s Corn Exchange.

SOME THINGS never get old: the joy in seeing a remarkable historic structure brought back to life is an enduring pleasure. But it is especially gratifying when a space designed for an overprivileged, private individual is repurposed for the enrichment of everyday 21st century folk. On that front, few transformations can be as gratifying or offer so much potential as that of Brighton Dome’s Corn Exchange. The earliest structure within the lavish and Indo-Saracenic complex that includes the more famous Brighton Pavilion, the Corn Exchange was originally built as a royal stables and riding house in 1803; I wonder if they appreciated its cathedral-like dimensions, or the timber rafters soaring overhead in architect William Porden’s pioneering roof structure; at 18m across, it remains the widest single-span timber frame in the UK today.

It became the Corn Exchange briefly after Queen Victoria sold the buildings to Brighton town in 1850, who refitted it as a concert venue in 1867. It has subsequently been a skating rink, a hospital during World War II, and then returned to hosting performances, including the Eurovision Song Contest won by Abba in 1974. Now, after a six-year, £38m makeover by Feilden Clegg Bradley (FCB), the Corn Exchange and its first floor Studio (formerly Pavilion) Theatre are woven into one flowing and highly permeable arts centre.

To achieve this feat, FCB has made inspired use of a redundant courtyard at the centre of the Regency block; There was little alternative room for manoeuvre, FCB founding partner Peter Clegg told me, given the Corn Exchange’s Grade I listing, and the Grade II listing of the theatre: ‘The courtyard was just a sloping concrete slab with an asbestos shed above it...Out of this redundant space we’ve managed to get two bars, another floor and [a new rehearsal and small performance studio] Anita’s Room up there, with a lift through and two staircases to access the theatres. These bars serve the studio and corn exchange theatre on two levels.’

The timber rafters in the roof remain the widest single-span timber frame in the UK, stretching to an impressive 18m across. With the facelift, modernising features have been added to the Corn Exchange, including triple glazed windows to improve acoustics, while also factoring in sustainability. Image Credit: Andy Stagg

Its transformational impact goes far beyond functional, however. Thanks to substantial interior glazing this core boosts wayfinding, natural lighting and visual connection between spaces, becoming a dynamic, multi-directional window onto how the building is being inhabited and animated.

It’s also a sensual and sculptural space: the restrained palette of new materials throws emphasis onto the rich brick and stonework of what were previously exterior walls, which now form this circulation core’s envelope. It’s quite a treat, as you move up and around the building, to get so close to features that could previously only be enjoyed by seagulls, such as the antique, crenelated windows. Outside, at street level, there is also improved access and visibility. The New Road entrance now sits alongside a large café/restaurant, with an outdoor dining terrace that will bring new life to the site.

Wow factor in spades is delivered in the newly stripped back Corn Exchange interior. As Andrew Comben, chief executive of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, says: ‘This is the most amazing facility: a completely magnificent space. For our audiences when they come in, there’s a sharp intake of breath.’

Clegg says, rather modestly: ‘What we did was just reveal what was there in 1803.’ However, doing that while improving both operational and environmental performance was a massive undertaking. The floor was excavated to create a basement storage area for all the stage kit which had previously been stashed around the building. Retractable seating means the hall can serve any configuration up to 505 people seated, or 3,000 standing. At least a century’s worth of lead-infused paint had to be stripped off the timber roof, with the beams secured and, remarkably, only a few replaced. Original timber panelling that formerly lined the lower walls did, however, have to be completely replaced. Overall, 6,500 linear metres of sustainable European oak cladding was deployed as panelling and also lining for the dormer roof arches. Elaborate Regency windows in the Corn Exchange have all been restored by hand, with two completely replaced, as they had been removed during earlier interventions.

The Studio Theatre on the first floor, once a tearoom, is now a handsome ‘black box’ space, featuring a balcony which adds both seating capacity but also intimacy in this 250 seater space. The ornate plaster ceiling had to be replaced with a historically accurate version. An original copper roof also had to be replaced, as the marine air had completely corroded the original. A lot of fine craftsmanship lies behind a ‘simple’ restoration project. Says Comben: ‘Previously, this had a litany of operational issues. The audience could only enter by stairs, so disabled access was non-existent. Artist dressing rooms were two floors down in the basement, there was no loading access and you had to hump stuff up the stairs. All of those things are resolved, which is amazing.’

Energy efficiency and sustainability have also been a priority. Parts of the building fabric has been enhanced to reduce heat loss and improve air filtration. The front of house and foyer spaces are naturally ventilated. Where mechanical ventilation is necessary in the performance spaces, heat recovery systems have been added to reduce energy use. Through substantial LED lighting, as well as movement controlled lighting in public areas and an all-electric kitchen, energy demands are further reduced.

FCB worked with Arup for the engineering and Charcoal Blue to get the performance spaces up to date. In terms of acoustics, not a lot needed to be done to enrich the sound inside the largely timber Corn Exchange, but triple glazing ensured acoustic isolation in the glazed areas.

The icing on the cake for Comben seems to be the addition of Anita’s Room (named after Brighton-based Body Shop founder Anita Roddick) on the third floor, as a space for hosting and supporting emerging artists, community projects and new work. Says Comben: ‘It’s 5G equipped. And we’re creating new usages for 5G as a result. We had the first 5G festival here, with synchronous performance across three spaces.’ Because 5G has no latency, says Comben, ‘you can perform music successfully across time zones and continents. Those kinds of experiments are things we’re hoping to do in this space. It feels like a neat paradox between the heritage of the building and the forward thinking of artists. But it’s also somehow the spirit of Regency – always wanting the new thing. Yes, the Prince Regent was eccentric, often frivolous and indulgent but so much innovation came out of his constant quest for excitement and inspiration'.

It feels like that spirit will thrive in Brighton’s newly empowered performing arts hub.