American Friends and Patrons are invited to join this day trip to the English Coast, where we will visit two fine examples of the work of the architect Serge Chermayeff and a national treasure, the Hasting Pier that has been brought back to life by dRMM Architects (and which has been the recipient of this year’s RIBA South East Award as well as shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2017).

Bentley Wood

Designed in 1936 and completed in 1938 Bentley Wood is considered to be one of the most influential modern houses of the period. This family home it is built of timber, both as structure and cladding, to reflect the vernacular surroundings but also for the material’s newly found suitability for modern architecture.  Sean Albuquerque, architect and current owner, will lead the tour of his family home and a live project.

House at Bentley Wood, Halland, East Sussex: the garden front with sculpture by Henry Moore in the foreground© Architectural Press Archive, RIBA Collections

De La Warr Pavilion, East Sussex

One of the best known works of Serge Chermayeff and  Erich Mendelsohn in East Sussex the Pavilion is Grade I listed and is one of Britain’s most significant Modernist landmarks. The Pavilion was opened in 1935 and was constructed using pioneering materials and construction techniques: concrete and steel, with large glass windows, cantilevered balconies, clean lines and terrazzo floors. In 2005, after an extensive restoration, the De La Warr Pavilion reopened as a contemporary arts centre, encompassing one of the largest galleries on the south coast of England.

De La Warr Pavilion © Stephen Dutton, RIBA Collections

Hastings Pier

Hastings Pier was originally designed by renowned Victorian engineer Eugenius Birch and opened in 1872. In the 1980s the Pier sadly fell into a state of disrepair and was destroyed by a fire in 2010. Reopened in April 2016, the new Pier has been designed by dRMM architects as a pier for the 21st century. It is a sustainable, flexible platform that is able to host a broad range of community uses. The new visitor centre is clad in reclaimed timber which was salvaged from the original fire-damaged pier. Hastings Pier has won RIBA South East Award 2017.

Hastings Pier by dRMM architects © Alex de Rijke

Logistics

We are planning to depart promptly at 8.30am by private coach from Waterloo and will return around 7pm. The journey takes a little over two hours each way.

Please let us know if you would like transportation from London.  Should you choose to make your own way there, we will need to liaise about our first stop due to parking restrictions.

To book your place or for further information, please contact the Arina Zharikova on 020 7307 3701 or patrons@riba.org.

Published by BALTrust