De La Warr Pavilion

Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, UK

The Grade I-listed De La Warr Pavilion was constructed in 1935 – the Modernist vision of celebrated architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff.  

As one of the first Modernist public buildings in the UK, the seafront venue with its sleek lines and stylish facade quickly became a popular landmark for the town, fondly known as “the people’s pavilion”.  

De La Warr Pavilion, designed by Modernist architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff is a Grade 1-listed icon of its era. 

The client wanted to upgrade its technical equipment and infrastructure to ensure the longer-term sustainability of the venue and to help attract bigger names.   

Our experts supported the venue’s bid for Arts Council Funding, by providing detailed system designs and equipment costings. 

Working within the constraints of the Grade I -listing, our team designed new sound and lighting systems, as well as new rigging trusses, hoists and motors. 

Challenge

For the last two decades, the venue has been run as a contemporary arts centre by a charitable trust. 

The trust wanted to upgrade its technical equipment and infrastructure to ensure the longer-term sustainability of the venue and to help attract bigger name performers and musicians. Buro Happold was engaged to offer expert consultancy around audio visual (AV) equipment to improve the venue as a performance space. 

We supported the client’s successful application for Arts Council funding, outlining the proposed equipment and its costs. We liaised closely with the venue’s management team to build an integrated vision for the new equipment and infrastructure improvements that could be achieved within their budget. This was maximised by exploring options around which equipment could be reused and integrated with new equipment. 

The Grade I-listed status of the building requires a high level of consideration to be given to any intervention in the building’s fabric. Our team therefore had to ensure the new equipment could all be installed within the tolerances of the existing rigging points and infrastructure. 

Solution

The vision is to create a new suite of equipment that enables up-to-date performance experiences, but also future-proofs the venue for at least the next decade. 

The elements we reported on included new sounds systems – such as loudspeakers, amplifiers and mixing consoles, lighting – including power distribution systems and consoles, and new rigging trusses, hoists and motors. Energy efficiency was also significantly improved, with a shift from tungsten filament to LED lighting systems.  

As well as providing expert consultancy on the specialist equipment required, we also managed the tendering process for the venue.  

Our experts designed a sound system that ensured those seated at the back of the venue would experience the same acoustic experience as those seated near the front. This not only meant choosing the right equipment for the venue, but also optimising it to suit the space. 

We also managed the requirements of the venue of flight cases and equipment storage – ensuring that the historic theatre has the adaptability of space to easily accommodate the needs of a 21^st century performer.

Value

As well as supporting the Arts Council bid, we provided detailed consultancy to the venue on the best equipment options, and fully managed the tendering process, working within the client’s budget.  

The result will be a new lease of life for this landmark Modernist venue, ensuring that it remains as relevant today as when it was first opened nearly 90 years ago.