Brighton College completes 15 year programme of bold commissions with a sculptural performing arts centre by Dutch practice krft.

Photos
Stijn Bollaert

Amsterdam-based practice krft has completed The Richard Cairns Building, a new performing arts centre for Brighton College that comes hot on the heels of OMA’s School of Science and Sport, Eric Parry’s Music School, Allies and Morrison’s boarding house and Hopkins’ teaching block and marks the culmination of a 15-year masterplan that has transformed the 19th-century campus.

The project combines studios and classrooms with a timber-lined 400-seat theatre within a tight space positioned between the historical Main Building by Sir George Gilbert Scott and the recently finished School of Science and Sports by OMA.

“To open up the campus level, we set out to elevate the theatre hall, so it could float above a three dimensional, transparent and dynamic social space that connects the subterranean studios to the campus grounds, the raised theatre and the English classrooms. It’s a bold move for theatre design, where a theatre is a machine, revolving around effective logistics, but it’s a necessity for a school building, on a campus that is all about social interaction.” said krft founders Thomas Dieben and Oscar Vos.

Headmaster Richard Cairns added: “By a mix of intention and good fortune, we have created a veritable theme park of outstanding contemporary architecture in a very traditional Victorian Gothic setting. Huge numbers of pupils have since been inspired to become architects and engineers as a direct consequence of what they have seen developing here over the last 15 years.”

Ground floor plan of the building.

Section view of the building.

After winning the competition in 2019 krft led the design through to the planning application stage and collaborated with Nicholas Hare Architects (NHA). NHA has been leading the project from the technical design stage until completion, with krft supervising the design. The building broke ground in 2022 with Gilbert Ash appointed as the contractor. Despite the complexities of the project and the tight, historical context, the building was delivered on time and within budget, opening in April 2024.

Credits