In 2007, Sir Basil Spence’s vision of a 'utopian' university came to a standstill with the close of Sussex University's Gardner Arts Centre. Fast-forward eight years and a new utopia is born: the renamed Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, the university's innovative creative arts hub.
The Grade II* listed, Spence-designed building found itself in a sad state of disrepair in 2007. Thus, it seemed fitting that architecture firm R H Partnership Architects (RHP) would step in to save the iconic structure and transform it into a spatially-inspiring, contemporary arts centre, having previously worked on the conservation of several other of the architect's campus buildings.
Thanks to its protected status, the exterior remains much the same as Spence’s original 1969 design. ‘It is through simplicity of design,’ RHP explains, ‘that the palette of new materials respects the old.’ Yet behind the scrubbed-up 1960s concrete and newly-pointed, curved brickwork lies the future of creative arts education.
The centre has been transformed into an interdisciplinary creative hub, housing a flexible 350-seat auditorium, rehearsal studios and state-of-the-art breakout creativity zones. The space has been designed to be enjoyed by all, so the public can join students and staff for a drink in the cafe or bar before strolling round the gallery and auditorium. A performance programme will launch next spring.
RHP utilised the design’s sweeping curves to create welcoming, light-filled communal spaces. A key design element the architects wanted to preserve was the ‘unique cylindrical shape’ of the building. This was successfully achieved in the auditorium through the use of curved, multifaceted, plywood acoustic panels. The redevelopment preserves the creative spirit of the iconic centre, whilst creating a more interactive, inspiring and up-to-date venue that will surely remain relevant in the fast-paced creative arts world.
The corridors still echo with the past performances of Sir Ian McKellen and Gemma Jones, but a new path has been paved for the next generation of artists and performers.
Curved plywood acoustic panels line the walls of the auditorium
The auditorium is a flexible space with retractable and removable seats
The curved entrance lobby, a unique element in Spence's original design
The lobby staircase and tower utilise the curved shape to create light and airy sociable spaces
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneerBack in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
-
All hail the power of concrete architecture‘Concrete Architecture’ surveys more than a century’s worth of the world’s most influential buildings using the material, from brutalist memorials to sculptural apartment blocks
-
Three Object Apartment embraces raw concrete honesty in the heart of AthensThree Object Apartment by DeMachinas is a raw concrete home in Athens, which confidently celebrates its modernist bones
-
Giovanni Michelucci’s dramatic concrete church in the Italian DolomitesGiovanni Michelucci’s concrete Church of Santa Maria Immacolata in the Italian Dolomites is a reverently uplifting memorial to the victims of a local disaster
-
The finest brutalist architecture in the worldFor some of the world's finest brutalist architecture in London and beyond, scroll below. Can’t get enough of brutalism? Neither can we.
-
The Wonder Cabinet fosters creativity in BethlehemThe Wonder Cabinet in Bethlehem, Palestine is a not-for-profit production and cultural hub for creativity in the region
-
Pa.te.os hotel in Portugal is a concrete love affair with AlentejoPa.te.os hotel by Aires Mateus is set in the Alentejo landscape in Portugal and celebrates the blend of concrete and nature
-
Luna House is a concrete Chilean live/work haven by Pezo von EllrichshausenPezo von Ellrichshausen invites us inside Luna, the studio's base, a geometric concrete masterpiece in the Chilean countryside
