The design of the Phoenix will respond to the challenges of our age. Built by local people using timber including from Sussex woodlands and other low-carbon materials, and powered by renewable energy, it will make wise use of this precious brownfield site, creating good homes and jobs for the town. Phoenix represents a departure from the careless way in which neighbourhoods are planned by developers in the UK and there will be new types of buildings and spaces to meet affordability, climate and other pressing criteria, we are determined to honour and otherwise respond to its surroundings in Lewes.
With the help of local groups, we have been hard at work creating a document – a Design Code – that will control the design of the buildings and public spaces as each phase of the development is reached. This Code will be submitted to the South Downs National Park Authority as part of our planning application, and is the result of 18 months of design, research and consultation by our many architects and engineers.
The document seeks to identify key characteristics of Lewes which have stood the test of time and will be used to shape the design of the Phoenix – we are calling these ‘golden threads’. We have also set up a Design Working Group, made up of local people from across the town with relevant expertise or experience, who will be invited to contribute to the Golden Threads and, over time, review individual designs for the buildings on the Phoenix as they come forward for detailed design in successive phases.
Here, Human Nature architect Jeremy Walker talks us through his observations from around Lewes – and how they may influence the Phoenix.
The buildings of Lewes are hugely diverse in character
It's quite normal in a town of Lewes’ size to have some distinctive, landmark buildings and a number of buildings that simply don't fit into the prevailing style. Lewes is unusual in that it has such a huge variety of styles within the town, often sitting right up against each other and with so many variations in the character of buildings along the street. It means that the buildings that stand out in Lewes are standing out from what’s already a very diverse background – a great deal of the charm and character of Lewes comes from these bold juxtapositions. This diversity is achieved in many ways, from the changes in scale, the differences in roofscape, the huge variety of materials and even the arrangement of windows.
Lewes is sometimes thought of as a Georgian and Regency town, but many of these buildings have much older, timber structures beneath. And, of course, there is also Victorian architecture, including a great deal of industrial buildings – of course, Harvey’s Brewery and some of the Phoenix – as well as the influence of the Arts & Crafts style and, later, 20th century architecture from Edwardian, post-war and modern buildings.
Lewes has an exceptionally broad materials palette
It seems as if all the traditional construction materials of southern England have been used in Lewes – certainly all the ones that have been used up to the 19th century, and many 20th century materials, too. In a short walk, you’ll see flint walls; timber frames and cladding; red, glazed and mathematical tiles; various different stones; cream, red and grey bricks; render; slate; copper and zinc… It’s often the collages, patterns and even imperfections in these materials that make Lewes so pleasing to the eye. Like everywhere, the palette of Lewes reflects materials appropriate to each era. It will be no different with the Phoenix: the materials will reflect the requirements of the 21st century, reducing embodied carbon and transport distance, supporting the local economy, where possible, and being robust enough to weather gracefully in current and future climates.
We plan to build a new timber neighbourhood, using 21st century manufacturing methods to create the frames of the new buildings using this traditional yet very forward looking, sustainable material. New facing materials for the outer skin of the buildings will be informed by the striking ways that materials have been used across town, making sure they are not only beautiful but sensitive in their relationship to materials found nearby.
There are fascinating stories everywhere you look in Lewes
I recently joined a tour with the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and Marcus Taylor of the Friends of Lewes. One of the most interesting parts of the walk was learning about the characteristic grey brick seen in Lewes. These bricks are red clay underneath but their grey surface was created using a coating of a waste material heated in a furnace, which gives them a slightly reflective appearance – watch as the light catches the houses down Friars’ Walk at sunset. You can actually see the crystalline surface on the bricks through a microscope. There’s a potential lesson here for our materials on the Phoenix. Without necessarily copying this exact process – unless it makes practical sense to do so – we might find we can use recycled waste materials to give an interesting new finish to surfaces. This would be consistent with the practice of experimenting with the possibilities of local materials for visual delight, in which Lewes really excels.
Variety often comes from building’s purpose
We want the Phoenix, like Lewes, to be diverse – which is why we’re using a number of different architectural practices on the site. But with a development like this, you’re doing everything at a relatively fast pace – in comparison with the development of Lewes, which reflects the trends of the time. So how do you do that without it appearing contrived? One way is to take cues from the purposefulness of the buildings – good architecture is arguably a balance between purpose, aesthetics and economy. We want to make them sustainable, economical to build, and with solar harvesting or urban gardening on the roofs, and with amenity spaces, which informs the style. It’s a ‘mixed-use’ development, with community, commercial and residential buildings, which potentially will also give us a richness and sense of variety, continuing Lewes’ tradition of variation and individuality in its buildings.
Life on the street gives Lewes so much of its charm
It's quite typical for a market town like Lewes to have plenty of ‘active frontages’ – and a real mixture of corner, recessed and grouped entrances to shops and cafés, but Lewes does it exceptionally well. Think of the mix of shop fronts, and particularly entrances, on the High Street or Station Street – not only does it look attractive and interesting, it supports social activity and life on the street and lifts the whole area socially and economically. Lewes has to use space very effectively – whether you’re talking about outside seating (like Caccia & Tails, the Lansdown and Ground), or the many personalised front gardens and ‘thresholds’ you see, such as on New Road. It’s amazing what you can do with a few centimeters – all these things make a significant contribution to the quality of life on the street. It has been shown that if you have somewhere to sit and stay – even just for a few minutes – there's going to be much more interaction between people than if they just pass on the street and this strengthens the sense of community and ‘ownership’ of the street. This is something we’re absolutely trying to recreate on the Phoenix.
The design of the Phoenix will respond to the challenges of our age. Built by local people using timber including from Sussex woodlands and other low-carbon materials, and powered by renewable energy, it will make wise use of this precious brownfield site, creating good homes and jobs for the town. Phoenix represents a departure from the careless way in which neighbourhoods are planned by developers in the UK and there will be new types of buildings and spaces to meet affordability, climate and other pressing criteria, we are determined to honour and otherwise respond to its surroundings in Lewes.
With the help of local groups, we have been hard at work creating a document – a Design Code – that will control the design of the buildings and public spaces as each phase of the development is reached. This Code will be submitted to the South Downs National Park Authority as part of our planning application, and is the result of 18 months of design, research and consultation by our many architects and engineers.
The document seeks to identify key characteristics of Lewes which have stood the test of time and will be used to shape the design of the Phoenix – we are calling these ‘golden threads’. We have also set up a Design Working Group, made up of local people from across the town with relevant expertise or experience, who will be invited to contribute to the Golden Threads and, over time, review individual designs for the buildings on the Phoenix as they come forward for detailed design in successive phases.
Here, Human Nature architect Jeremy Walker talks us through his observations from around Lewes – and how they may influence the Phoenix.
The buildings of Lewes are hugely diverse in character
It's quite normal in a town of Lewes’ size to have some distinctive, landmark buildings and a number of buildings that simply don't fit into the prevailing style. Lewes is unusual in that it has such a huge variety of styles within the town, often sitting right up against each other and with so many variations in the character of buildings along the street. It means that the buildings that stand out in Lewes are standing out from what’s already a very diverse background – a great deal of the charm and character of Lewes comes from these bold juxtapositions. This diversity is achieved in many ways, from the changes in scale, the differences in roofscape, the huge variety of materials and even the arrangement of windows.
Lewes is sometimes thought of as a Georgian and Regency town, but many of these buildings have much older, timber structures beneath. And, of course, there is also Victorian architecture, including a great deal of industrial buildings – of course, Harvey’s Brewery and some of the Phoenix – as well as the influence of the Arts & Crafts style and, later, 20th century architecture from Edwardian, post-war and modern buildings.
Lewes has an exceptionally broad materials palette
It seems as if all the traditional construction materials of southern England have been used in Lewes – certainly all the ones that have been used up to the 19th century, and many 20th century materials, too. In a short walk, you’ll see flint walls; timber frames and cladding; red, glazed and mathematical tiles; various different stones; cream, red and grey bricks; render; slate; copper and zinc… It’s often the collages, patterns and even imperfections in these materials that make Lewes so pleasing to the eye. Like everywhere, the palette of Lewes reflects materials appropriate to each era. It will be no different with the Phoenix: the materials will reflect the requirements of the 21st century, reducing embodied carbon and transport distance, supporting the local economy, where possible, and being robust enough to weather gracefully in current and future climates.
We plan to build a new timber neighbourhood, using 21st century manufacturing methods to create the frames of the new buildings using this traditional yet very forward looking, sustainable material. New facing materials for the outer skin of the buildings will be informed by the striking ways that materials have been used across town, making sure they are not only beautiful but sensitive in their relationship to materials found nearby.
There are fascinating stories everywhere you look in Lewes
I recently joined a tour with the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and Marcus Taylor of the Friends of Lewes. One of the most interesting parts of the walk was learning about the characteristic grey brick seen in Lewes. These bricks are red clay underneath but their grey surface was created using a coating of a waste material heated in a furnace, which gives them a slightly reflective appearance – watch as the light catches the houses down Friars’ Walk at sunset. You can actually see the crystalline surface on the bricks through a microscope. There’s a potential lesson here for our materials on the Phoenix. Without necessarily copying this exact process – unless it makes practical sense to do so – we might find we can use recycled waste materials to give an interesting new finish to surfaces. This would be consistent with the practice of experimenting with the possibilities of local materials for visual delight, in which Lewes really excels.
Variety often comes from building’s purpose
We want the Phoenix, like Lewes, to be diverse – which is why we’re using a number of different architectural practices on the site. But with a development like this, you’re doing everything at a relatively fast pace – in comparison with the development of Lewes, which reflects the trends of the time. So how do you do that without it appearing contrived? One way is to take cues from the purposefulness of the buildings – good architecture is arguably a balance between purpose, aesthetics and economy. We want to make them sustainable, economical to build, and with solar harvesting or urban gardening on the roofs, and with amenity spaces, which informs the style. It’s a ‘mixed-use’ development, with community, commercial and residential buildings, which potentially will also give us a richness and sense of variety, continuing Lewes’ tradition of variation and individuality in its buildings.
Life on the street gives Lewes so much of its charm
It's quite typical for a market town like Lewes to have plenty of ‘active frontages’ – and a real mixture of corner, recessed and grouped entrances to shops and cafés, but Lewes does it exceptionally well. Think of the mix of shop fronts, and particularly entrances, on the High Street or Station Street – not only does it look attractive and interesting, it supports social activity and life on the street and lifts the whole area socially and economically. Lewes has to use space very effectively – whether you’re talking about outside seating (like Caccia & Tails, the Lansdown and Ground), or the many personalised front gardens and ‘thresholds’ you see, such as on New Road. It’s amazing what you can do with a few centimeters – all these things make a significant contribution to the quality of life on the street. It has been shown that if you have somewhere to sit and stay – even just for a few minutes – there's going to be much more interaction between people than if they just pass on the street and this strengthens the sense of community and ‘ownership’ of the street. This is something we’re absolutely trying to recreate on the Phoenix.