The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinars
Urbanity
Awards
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Untitled design (8)
FULL PROGRAM RELEASED FOR URBANITY-25 CONNECTING PROPERTY LEADERS ACROSS THE ASIA PACIFIC
FULL PROGRAM RELEASED FOR URBANITY-25 WHERE THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY CONNECTS
VIEW FULL AGENDADETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
EducationStaff WriterThu 02 Nov 17

Britain's Top Architecture Prize Awarded to ‘Masterpiece of Regeneration’

TUD+ MEMBER CONTENT
hastings-pier
SHARE
4
print
Print

A historic pier in East Sussex that was devastated by fire has won the UK's most prestigious architecture award -- the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize -- after a multi-million pound redevelopment.


Nicknamed the Plank, Hastings Pier is the work of London-based architects de Rijke Marsh Morgan. The pier reopened to the public last year, its restoration cost £14.2 million.


RIBA president and jury chair Ben Derbyshire said Hastings Pier was a "masterpiece of regeneration and inspiration".

"The architects and local community have transformed a neglected wreck into a stunning, flexible new pier to delight and inspire visitors and local people.

Hastings Pier, on the East Sussex coast and overlooking the English Channel, can chart its history from 1872. For many years it was a popular pleasure pier famous for musical acts, but its recent past was one of neglect.

In 2008 it closed due to storm damage, and in 2010 faced destruction when a fire ravaged the entire structure.

Residents and supporters were determined to use the fire as an opportunity to reimagine the pier. After winning the RIBA design competition dRMM set about close consultation with locals and stakeholders, quickly reaching the conclusion that the pier must serve a wide variety of scenarios to be sustainable. Additional fundraising from a local action group found 3,000 shareholders to buy a stake in the project at £100 a share.

As a result, the development became known as "the people's pier".

Judges of the RIBA awards remarked on the collaboration of the community, council, engineers and architect.

"This space offered more potential than an iconic building on the end of the pier, and demonstrates the evolving role of the architect as an agent for change."Creative use of timber is at the heart of the transformed pier design.

The new visitor centre is a 100 per cent cross-laminated timber structure, clad in the limited timber decking that survived the 2010 fire. This reclaimed timber was also used to make the furniture on the deck, designed by dRMM and Hastings & Bexhill Wood Recycling Ltd as part of a local employment initiative.

The visitor centre has been designed as an adaptable space for indoor events, exhibitions and educational activities, with an elevated belvedere on top. A glass walled, open-air "room" looks out to the vast views over the Pier and beyond toward Europe, then back to the town and coast.

Hastings Pier was chosen as the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize winner from the following shortlisted entries:

  • Barrett's Grove, Stoke Newington, east London by Groupwork + Amin Taha

  • British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, Bloomsbury, London by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

  • Command of the Oceans by Baynes and Mitchell Architects for Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent

  • City of Glasgow College - City Campus, Scotland by Reiach & Hall Architects and Michael Laird Architects

  • Photography Studio for Juergen Teller, west London by 6a architects

IndustrialInternationalConstructionArchitectureConstructionSector
AUTHOR
Staff Writer
"TheUrbanDeveloper.com is committed to delivering the latest news, reviews, opinions and insights into the best of urban development from Australia and around the world. "
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Exclusive

Paperwork to Plate: The Rise of Brisbane’s Midtown

Taryn Paris
6 Min
Wel Co's Thornhill Park, 40km west of the Melbourne CBD.
Exclusive

Waiting for Victoria: Why Wel.Co says State Planning isn’t Working

Marisa Wikramanayake
6 Min
Woods Bagot Principal Alex Hall and Penny Place Adelaide
Exclusive

Amplified Affordability: Woods Bagot Cracks Housing Cost Code

Leon Della Bosca
8 Min
Goodman Brisbane Industrial EDM
Exclusive

Olympics a ‘Springboard’ for Brisbane’s Industrial Age

Clare Burnett
6 Min
Colliers build-to-rent head Robert Papaleo speaking at The Urban Developer's Build-to-Rent Summit in Melbourne.
Exclusive

Get Creative Before BtR Wellspring Runs Dry, Sector Urged

Marisa Wikramanayake
4 Min
View All >
Mandarin Centre EDM
Retail

Decade On, Mandarin Centre Redevelopment Revealed

Clare Burnett
Finance

Global Uncertainty Underwrites Australia as ‘Island of Stability’ for Investors

Taryn Paris
Build-to-Rent

The 10 Biggest BtR Projects Under Construction in 2025

Editorial Desk
As the asset class matures, The Urban Developer reveals the 10 biggest build-to-rent projects (by asset value) under con…
LATEST
Mandarin Centre EDM
Retail

Decade On, Mandarin Centre Redevelopment Revealed

Clare Burnett
4 Min
Finance

Global Uncertainty Underwrites Australia as ‘Island of Stability’ for Investors

Taryn Paris
6 Min
Build-to-Rent

The 10 Biggest BtR Projects Under Construction in 2025

Editorial Desk
5 Min
Exclusive

Paperwork to Plate: The Rise of Brisbane’s Midtown

Taryn Paris
6 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://theurbandeveloper.com/articles/britains-top-architecture-prize-goes-drmms-hastings-pier