Sussex Heritage Trust Award for Project 150
The 2019 Sussex Heritage Trust Awards have been announced with a record number of Award winners and Highly Commended projects.
The Awards are designed to highlight excellence in architecture and conservation work in Sussex, representing the highest quality new build, conservation and rejuvenation projects.
Eastbourne College has been engaged in fundraising for their Project 150 vision since 2014 and close to 1000 donors willingly contributed to help bring the project to life. Delivered in just four years from inception, the £33 million investment has transformed the school’s central campus which sits within the Devonshire Conservation Area. The bold, sensitive and thoughtful architecture resulted in the Nugee and Winn buildings which have provided the school community with:
- 32 state-of-the-art classrooms
- two specialist IT suites
- a cricket pavilion
- a spacious school shop
- several stunning entertaining areas
- a Sport England-compliant sports hall
- a six-lane Olympic standard 25m swimming pool with full Swiss touch-pad timing system
- two glass-backed squash courts
- a dance studio (with recess in ceiling for aerial techniques)
- a state-of-the-art fitness suite
- an alfresco-feel dining hall catering for 600 per sitting
- a pupil café with full barista service
The new buildings have also created new opportunities for Eastbourne town. For example, this year saw the College open its doors like never before to welcome players, coaches, officials and ball crew from the Nature Valley International Tennis Championship. The players used the College fitness suite and ‘treatment room’ while the dining hall served-up healthy food to the 200 plus officials and ball crew all week.
Miller Bourne Architects, the renowned designers whose wide-ranging portfolio spans commercial, education, hospitality, leisure, residential and sport sectors, picked up the 2019 Public and Community Award that recognised a project which provides or improves facilities for the community. The judges were fulsome in their praise indeed,
‘A landmark and transformative development providing extensive facilities for this school. The architects and client have worked brilliantly together to produce an enviable new building to fit with the older buildings of the site. Brilliantly conceived.’
The 21st anniversary of the Awards scheme saw 98 entries, with 27 Award winners including four building craft Awards and 32 Highly Commended projects.
