About
Future Development Plans
Within the next five years Phoenix Brighton aims to be occupying a sustainable, accessible and high-quality landmark building. To achieve this, Phoenix has been working with local architects RH Partnership (www.rhpartnership.co.uk) to redesign areas of the building.
Five main courses of action are proposed:
- Enhance the visual appearance of the building, increasing its vitality whilst creating a clearly identifiable public and welcoming entrance
- Upgrade the external envelope with replacement glass where needed and repairs completed throughout
- Refurbish the ground floor plan to create a better gallery space with adjacent foyer, shop and café.
- Create space for rent by an independent creative organisation to also increase revenue income
- Install a new, DDA compliant lift servicing all floors
As an intermediary step consent is also being sought to install an advertising banner which would generate additional funds and provide a scaffold from which to undertake work on the façade.
All windows throughout the building will be refurbished with new seals, renewed mechanisms, and safety/solar film. The windows to the ground floor will be completely replaced with new full height double glazing to create a smart, welcoming public face to the building. This new glazing at ground floor will also allow a heating system to be installed at this level, providing a good quality thermal environment to the public areas and creating more attractive space for hire and rent.The main central entrance point will become the only entrance point for Phoenix Brighton and the Gallery, (although access for studio members is retained in other locations). The gallery space will be fully refurbished and the communal entrance foyer will be redesigned to incorporate a reception point, a shop selling artists works, and a café for the use of both the artists and the general public. All this will activity in the foyer, making it a much more vibrant and active space.
A new central lift will bring the building up to DDA standard and provide access to wheelchair accessible studio at first floor level.
Hence, through a playful colour patterning, a fully refurbished ground floor, a strong entrance and new central hub, we hope to clearly identify Phoenix Brighton as an active contemporary arts production facility with a strong public face that whole-heartedly engages with the vibrant city of Brighton.