Town & City Regeneration

MICHAEL GRUBB STUDIO DELIVERS PUBLIC REALM LIGHTING STRATEGY FOR BRIGHTON’S CIRCUS STREET DEVELOPMENT

As an ever-evolving seaside resort, visitors and residences of Brighton have seen many improvements in recent years. One of the latest is the imaginative transformation of a formerly-disused area of the city centre into a vibrant new social, cultural and economic quarter.

The much-heralded Circus Street development draws inspiration from Brighton’s historic agricultural laines, as well as the urban grain of the city’s older parts. Under the ownership of regeneration specialist U+I, the development benefits from the creative and inspirational approach that the company is known for.

The mixed-use site includes 142 shared-ownership and private homes, 450 student accommodation bedrooms, 30,000ft2 office space, and food, drink and retail units. It also features the city’s first ever purpose-built dance space, which will be run by South East Dance.

Renowned architecture firm shedkm and landscape architect J & L Gibbons were appointed to deliver the project. Working in conjunction with these two key partners, accomplished lighting design practice Michael Grubb Studio was brought into the project to deliver an innovative public realm lighting strategy and detailed technical designs for the development.

Brighton and Hove City Council also played an important role in the success of the project as PPP partner.

With a specialism in bespoke lighting strategies and masterplans, as well as a plethora of impressive design projects, Michael Grubb Studio was able to bring its wealth of expertise to develop the powerful lighting design solution for the multi-million-pound Circus Street public realm regeneration project.

Based on the concept that lighting should be more than just visual objects, the lighting design of Circus Street sought to relate to the surrounding public realm and architecture. With three main gateways into the development, each entrance has its own catenary lighting flow system with a super-sized pendant, shaped either as a pyramid, cube or sphere. These forms, and their materiality, are directly informed by the adjacent buildings designed by shedkm and work to assist those navigating the site by day or night.

It was also important that the lighting design blends seamlessly with the landscape design that had been curated by J & L Gibbons, while complementing the bold, honest and vibrant culture of Brighton. Exterior lighting within the site has been carefully configured and includes a balance of both horizontal and vertical illumination. The central core and main square contain layers of architectural lighting, with each complementing the other. This includes lighting of both soft and hard landscaping features, as well as surrounding building facades.

Michael Grubb, Founder and Managing Director of Michael Grubb Studios, said: “Brighton is such a fantastic place to live, work and visit, and is continually evolving and improving. To transform a disused area into such a stunning place, offering a multitude of purposes, is a prime example of the innovative approach to regeneration that Brighton is known for.

“The lighting scheme is a crucial element of the success of the project. Michael Grubb Studio was delighted to be given the opportunity to be part of the expert team bringing Circus Street to fruition with a comprehensive lighting strategy encompassing detailed technical design work.”

The Circus Street site has a strong focus on sustainability and has been working towards a green future. More than 100 trees have been planted, including a mature elm as a centrepiece to symbolise regeneration and growth. The creation of the public realm including public art and associated lighting was put in place to encourage a sense of community and social interaction for those living and working there.

Rob Sloper, Development Director at U+I, said: “Circus Street is set to become one of the most desirable areas to live in Brighton. It is also appealing to creative businesses and individuals, who find inspiration in the beauty of the built and natural environment of Circus Street.”

Helen Misselbrook at shedkm added: “Brighton is a very forward-thinking and progressive city, while being proud of its history and heritage. The Circus Street development perfectly balances these elements, bringing together contemporary design with nods to Brighton’s regency elements.

“As planning architect, we intended to create a bold, yet embedded, sense of place to inspire those living, working and dancing in the new neighbourhood. As design guardian, we endeavoured to deliver on our good faith promises made to the city.”

The project has been ongoing for a number of years, with the initial concept first imagined over seven years ago. With the landmark design now completed, Michael Grubb Studio has been integral to the regeneration of this previous brownfield site. Circus Street is creating over 400 new jobs and will add more than £200m gross value to the local economy in the next 10 years.

Michael Grubb Studio’s lighting strategy at Circus Street has successfully delivered on its core ambition of creating a meaningful environment that becomes a healthy, vibrant, sustainable community model of city life. The public realm lighting strategy reinforces these core principles by supporting the needs of people, whether local residents, students or business owners operating after dark.  www.michaelgrubbstudio.com

UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK PREVIEW UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK 3RD-5TH MAY 2022

UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK LONDON TO FOCUS ON CULTURE CHANGE IN CONSTRUCTION

The fundamental issue of culture change in the construction industry is the focus of a major event in May this year, with more than 25,000 people expected to come together to explore how the industry implements new behaviours, best practice and a true cultural shift in how it builds for the future.

UK Construction Week (UKCW), the country’s largest live show for the construction industry and all its related professions and trades, is running in London at the ExCeL centre from 3rd to 5th May. Supported by sponsors including Aico, Northgate Vehicle Hire and Bosch, it will run alongside co-located events Concrete Expo (3rd to 4th May), the Offsite Show (3rd to 5th May) and Grand Designs Live (30th April to 8th May).

The show will consist of over 40,000m2 of exhibition space, more than 300 exhibitors (600 including co-located shows), 10,000 products, 300 expert speakers, seven theatre stages, multiple specialist hubs and 150 hours of CPD content and activities.

Nathan Garnett, UKCW Event Director, says: “We’re really excited to bring UK Construction Week to London. 2022 is the year to focus on how we achieve the systemic changes we’ve been discussing for some time and to share the learnings from the organisations who have already made a strong start. We need to ensure there’s not a corner of construction that doesn’t know how to live its core values, implement new policies and behaviours, and be transformed by culture change.

“There’s so much to see, with many displays, exhibitors, shows and products you won’t find anywhere else. It will be a chance to celebrate the sector’s achievements and some of the best thought leaders and innovators construction has to offer. This is a must-attend event for anyone that wants to have their finger on the pulse of all things construction.”

UKCW London’s main stage programme, sponsored by COINS, will feature pioneers of culture change debating how best to foster this across the whole sector, with day one including updates on new rules around public procurement, the new regulatory regime on building safety, the forthcoming Building Safety Act, and the new ways the industry works on projects such as prisons, hospitals, road and rail infrastructure, education buildings and housing. Day two will be a dive into digitalisation, net zero and energy futures, and day three will focus on diversity, health and wellbeing, recruitment and retention issues.

The Offsite Alliance Hub will share learnings from alliance members who work alongside leading organisations, industry bodies, Government, local authorities and housing associations to increase the uptake and delivery of offsite technologies across the residential sector.

The Digital Construction Hub will deliver workshops on best practice in digital strategy, BIM, cloud computing, cybersecurity, use of Big Data and the whole range of ways in which new technology can improve productivity and profitability.

The Sustainability Hub will look at best practice in lowcarbon buildings and retrofit from Europe, regenerative design and biomimicry, hydrogen innovation, 3D printing, waste issues and building for disassembly.

The Infrastructure Hub, sponsored by CEMEX, will showcase learning from projects like HS2, Thames Tideway, Royal Docks London and the West Midlands Growth Engine, and analyse policies affecting infrastructure over the next 10 to 15 years.

Elsewhere, UKCW’s Role Models awards campaign returns for its fourth year. An opportunity to recognise talented professionals across all areas of construction and inspire others into similar roles.

The Fix Radio Tradesperson of the Year award for the country’s leading and most innovative tradesperson will also be announced at a ceremony hosted by Clive Holland.

ARCHITECT@WORK PREVIEW ARCHITECT@WORK 13-14TH APRIL 2022

Eleanor Brough of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects Joanna Simpson of Simpson Studio

ARCHITECT@WORK RETURNS TO THE TRUMAN BREWERY FOR 2022 EDITION

Taking place on 13 and 14th April 2022, ARCHITECT@WORK reaches higher than ever before with lofty ambitions to explore air and architecture when it returns to its physical format at London’s Truman Brewery. Visitors are invited to attend and meet 76 companies showing their innovations to the architecture and specifier markets, as well as partaking in the stellar line-up of talks for which the show is known.

The theme for the 2022 edition is Air & Architecture, which allows the talks programme to explore a range of different projects, places and experiences. Different sessions will touch upon how we breathe and what that means for our wellbeing, as well as the lungs of cities themselves. A key highlight for the talks programme will be a session on health and wellbeing that takes a look at air, space, materials and biophilia, considering how they are key to comfortable experiences that encourage better interactions within workspaces. This talk will feature Morris+Company Director Joe Morris, speaking alongside Francesca Brady of AirRated, rising star Anouska Anquetil, who runs Aterre and Rachel Edwards of Lendlease.

With climate change making a bigger impression on every design project, it’s clear that the relationship between architecture and landscape can play a huge role in making the built environment more inhabitable and kinder to the environment. The ways that we retrofit our cities to accommodate this will be discussed by Eleanor Brough of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, Katherine Erne from HTA, Joanna Simpson of Simpson Studio and Sanaa Shaikh from Native Studio.

Je Ahn from Studio Weave and Adam Scott of Freestate will focus on the everpopular draw of public space projects as good design is used to enliven places, creating a character and a focus for activity. Not only that, but we get the opportunity to reconsider what we want cities to look like, with a greater emphasis on greenery, accessibility and inclusivity.

Some of the best innovations in architecture are found in the buildings and spaces that harness our love of sport and Je Ahn from Studio Weave

exercise, ranging from the recent Olympics to climbing centres in skyscrapers and running tracks that weave through new developments. Peter Karn of MET Studio, Guy Hollaway from Hollaway Studio and Zoe Adeline-Lindop of AHMM will discuss how design can promote exercise when advances in digital technologies cause us to be more sedentary.

Join the presenters of Open City’s smash-hit podcast, the Londown, for a live recording of their topical show, which covers breaking stories in London’s architecture and built environment. The Londown is produced by Open City and the London Society in partnership with the Architects’ Journal.

Architecture offers so many opportunities for enclosure, but why aren’t we better utilising the air space on top of buildings to create new homes and landscapes? Emily Erlam of Erlam Studio, Nile Bridgeman from Gatti Routh Rhodes and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield will explain how designers are using sophisticated engineering and new materials to take in our surroundings like never before.

The venue advises taking a lateral flow test prior to the show.