Brighton Metropolitan College

Our team have transformed the popular Brighton's popular Met College with important projects spread over two phases.

Phase one

The first phase involved creation of the Centre for Creative and Digital Industries, a flagship facility designed to nurture talent in one of the UK’s fastest-growing sectors. This involved building a 3,000m² extension to the existing Pelham Campus at Pelham Street to provide purpose-built studios and classrooms tailored to teaching creative and digital specialisms to students so they develop skills that local businesses need.

The redevelopment is part of a wider strategy to support Brighton’s burgeoning creative and digital economy, with the Centre becoming a regional training hub for young professionals and career changers alike.

Supported by a Local Growth Funding grant of £5 million awarded by the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), this project is a regional template for driving forward regional economic growth.

Key features of the extension:

• Three-storey extension serves as a modern and welcoming ‘shop front’ for the college
• Updated and enhanced public access to all college facilities
• A large public space including secure bike storage for students, staff, and visitors
• Advanced studios and classrooms for digital and creative learning specialisms

Minimising disruption in a live campus

The college remained fully operational so our team drew on their extensive experience in live campus working, having successfully delivered over £400 million of similar projects across the UK in recent years. This included ensuring there was no disruption to the day-to-day running of the campus or course provision during the construction phase.

Phase two

After completing phase one, our team were appointed for the next phase, this time to over-clad the main teaching block (above) to improve the energy efficiency of the building.

This saw a fabric first approach developed through new windows and maximising the performance of the components that make up the building.

The over-cladding is like a second skin to the existing building, which enhances its durability and longevity. Additionally, this ensures it is ‘future-climate ready’ as part of our Now or Never strategy.

Richard Poulter, MD of Willmott Dixon in the South :

“These two big projects have give the college a fantastic future that will bring important skills to thousands in the important creative and digital industries, while also future-proofing a large existing teaching block. Our team’s experience working on live campuses ensured the college continued operating smoothly, and we’re delighted to have played a key role in this important development.”