TODD Architects is celebrating the successful handover of the Brinell Building, a seven storey 80,000sqft newbuild Grade A standard office, with basement car parking and cycling facilities, offering unparalleled views across the city and coast. Handed over in June 2019, the £15million workspace accommodates 700+ employees and is already fully let.
Working closely with long-standing client McAleer & Rushe Property, TODD Architects designed the contemporary building which provides essential new office space, specifically catering to the increasing profusion of dynamic tech and creative companies now based in Brighton.
Peter Minnis, Director, TODD Architects:
“McAleer & Rushe understand the needs of national and multinationals to attract the best and brightest employees with desirable Grade A office accommodation and The Brinell Building simultaneously addresses this factor and the shortage of contemporary office space available in Brighton, which is at its lowest level in the last 10 years. With the majority of the remaining stock being outdated 1980s refurbished space, Brinell’s larger floor plates are more in line with current needs and demand.”
Located within three minutes’ walk of Brighton’s mainline rail station, The Brinell Building occupies a prominent and accessible address, benefitting from excellent transport links to London and Gatwick Airport and proximity to local amenities such as cafés, restaurants, bars and shops in the North Laine area. The site location is also in great company, neighbouring some exciting regeneration projects, including London Road, City College, the Brighton Station Gateway and the New England Quarter immediately to the north.
“From day one, we had to design this building for Brighton. Our design embraces the industrial character of the former goods yard site, its history and the strong local creative community. The Brinell Building is distinct and tailored to Brighton, with its fine detailing, emphasis on public engagement and the inclusion of bespoke artwork.”
TODD Architects adopted a limited palette of materials to reinforce the building’s locale. Cladding comprises natural London stock facing brickwork, with high-performance curtain walling and aluminium dressings finished in a bronze anodised finish chosen to add warmth to the elevations. The Brinell Building also offers a single set back, glazed penthouse, introducing an increased level of transparency. The upper floors include finer grain detailing and a degree of articulation to the façades which visually reduces the overall mass, especially on oblique views.
“As the site rises away from the beach, it presented challenges with levels but also meant we had the opportunity to take advantage of the fantastic views out to sea and across the city by adding a sixth-floowrap-around terrace.”
Coupled with the city’s renowned creative community and identity, Brighton’s planners were keen to extend Art Integration to the Brinell site. With busy pedestrian routes around the building, artwork was integrated as a backdrop to the streetscape with a series of decorative metal panels, adorned in abstract patterns of seabird feathers, which also act as natural ventilation to the parking level.
From an environmental perspective, TODD Architects design achieves the A rate EPC and a BREEAM Excellent rating and also embraces the cycling infrastructure. Focusing on employee health & wellness, cycling specialists Five at Heart were approached to deliver the innovative cycle storage facilities, which also includes a maintenance area, private changing booths, showers and a drying room. The building has been issued with a Cycle Heart Rating of 95%.
“The Brinell Building is named for the “Brinell scale”; a measure of hardness in materials, reflecting the site’s industrial heritage as well as the variety of materials used in its design how they relate to their surroundings. Working with McAleer & Rushe, we have amalgamated many elements which reflect the character of the city, to create an individual, user-focused office building which is in keeping with Brighton’s architectural diversity.”