In a country like Britain where towns and cities are well established and where a huge stock of buildings already exists, we continually have to face the problem of how to add new buildings into historic contexts and how to adapt old buildings for new uses. Ought we simply to imitate the past, or should we be more concerned with creating buildings which speak unequivocally for the times in which we live? These dilemmas are nowhere more acute than in Brighton and Hove, a city renowned for its heritage of Georgian and Victorian buildings, and come into focus when we seek to refurbish such jewels as the Royal Pavilion and the Dome.
Brighton College is like a microcosm of the City. Its original buildings were designed by George Gilbert Scott in the mid-19th C. and its street frontage was later created by Thomas Jackson (a former Brighton College pupil). Over the years the College has continued to add in new buildings, to its site, many of which have won national architectural awards, and has also adapted its older buildings to new uses. Recently it has become an enlightened patron of nationally and internationally renowned architects, with completed buildings by Bob Allies, Eric Parry and Richard Griffiths and projected buildings by Michael Hopkins and Rem Koolhaas.
Eric Parry and Richard Griffiths will be joined for a discussion on these issues by Peter Clegg, who is currently preparing a masterplan for the Royal Pavilion Estate. This will be chaired by David Robson of the Regency Society of Brighton and Hove and will take place in the new Music School of Brighton College. The event will begin with drinks at 6.30pm and the discussion will start at 7.30pm.
David G Robson MA RIBA
The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove
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