The University of Brighton can trace its roots back to three principal predecessor colleges established between 1859 and 1909. Two of these – Brighton College of Art and Brighton College of Technology – merged in 1970 to become Brighton Polytechnic. The third – Brighton College of Education – was absorbed into the Polytechnic in 1976, along with East Sussex College of Higher Education, based in Eastbourne, in 1979. University status was gained in 1992 and Brighton Polytechnic became the University of Brighton. The Sussex and Kent Institute was integrated into the University in 1994, and the University Centre Hastings opened in 2003, with Hastings officially becoming the fifth campus of the University in 2013.

The landscape of higher education in Brighton was largely reshaped during the 1960s. A new building was constructed at Grand Parade for the College of Art in three phases between 1962 and 1969. Brighton Technical College became the Brighton College of Technology and transferred to a major new building at Moulsecoomb in 1963. The College of Education was transferred to a new campus at Falmer in 1965.

Over the past twenty-five years, the University has undertaken significant redevelopment of its estate and this has not been without challenge, given its geographical spread across Brighton, Eastbourne and, latterly, Hastings. The University has implemented a number of estate strategies since its formation and the successful delivery of their objectives during this period can be seen across the estate.

The final phase of the College of Art at Grand Parade was finished in 1969, and further development occurred in 1998 with the completion of the first phase of the fourth wing. The Grand Parade site is also home to the Brighton Waste House, designed by BBM Sustainable Design director Duncan BakerBrown together with undergraduate students. The building is Europe’s first permanent public building made almost entirely from material thrown away or not wanted.

At Falmer, the original estate consisted mostly of CLASP system buildings, and most have been replaced through the construction of Westlain House in 1999, Falmer Library in 2001 (both to the designs of Long & Kentish), Mayfield House in 2003 (HNW Architects) and the Checkland building in 2009 (Hopkins Architects). The northern part of the site has been occupied since 2011 by the American Express Community Stadium and is home to Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.

The Waste House

The Checkland Building

Approximately 65% of the University’s estate is located at its Moulsecoomb campus, and the first major work undertaken by the University was the completion of the Aldrich Library, in 1996, to designs by Long & Kentish. The site today is still dominated by the Cockcroft building, originally built in 1963 for the Brighton College of Technology. It has recently undergone a major £30m refurbishment that has created exciting new learning spaces and working environments for the student and staff community, as well as incorporating a number of energy-saving measures that should see energy use reduce by 57% and CO2 emissions by 59%.

Cockcroft building

Watts building

At a more modest scale, the social informal learning space projects have demonstrated that a big impact can be made with limited resources. Developed by two recent graduates of the University, they won the inaugural AUDE impact initiative of the year award in 2015, recognising both the collaborative approach undertaken with the student community and the scaleable nature of the projects.

Even though the University is widely dispersed across its geographical locations, it has considered the importance of sustainability in the many facets of its operations and is committed to the highest standards of environmental design and sustainable behaviour. This is evidenced by our recent top five finishes in the People & Planet University League and through the implementation of practical measures such as continued investment in the provision of photovoltaic panels and the use of ATES systems to provide heating and cooling in the Cockcroft building.

The latest master plan undertaken by the University, completed by the architects HASSELL, in 2013 has already seen the commencement of its implementation through the development of the £14m advanced engineering building at Moulsecoomb (2017), which introduces an exciting new typology to the estate.

Looking to the future, the University has also submitted a major planning application with a developer for the regeneration of its Moulsecoomb car parks and the Preston Barracks site. The University’s elements of the scheme include more than 800 student bedrooms in five new halls of residence, a new home for its business school, new learning and teaching spaces, a multistorey car park, a new gym and Students’ Union facilities, new green spaces, improved cycling facilities, café, retail and workshop units and a new footbridge across the Lewes Road, linking the two sides of its Moulsecoomb campus.      

Mouslecoomb development

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Article taken from the book ‘AUDE: The First 25 Years’. Digital and hard copies available to buy.

Content for the book was drafted during 2016 and 2017 and was correct at the time of writing.