Opening the Doors

It’s always a pleasure welcoming students from the University of Brighton into our work.

We recently took our new cohort of mentored students onto site at the Grade II* Royal Albion Hotel to share our emerging thoughts for the building’s restoration and reuse following the devastating fire.

We talked through the hotel’s layered history, the challenges and opportunities of working with a listed heritage asset, and the role that careful conservation plays in bringing such an important piece of Brighton’s story back to life.

The tour through the building and out onto the scaffold gave everyone a real sense of its scale, its craft, and those remarkable views across the city and coastline — a reminder of why this project matters so much.

Engaging with students in this way is a hugely rewarding part of our partnership with the School of Architecture. Their curiosity and energy sharpens our own thinking, and we’re proud to support the next generation as they step into the profession.

A big thank you to Bloomsbury for their time and expertise in guiding the group around the site and sharing their experience and knowledge.

As active members in the RIBA Mentoring Scheme, we regularly support and engage with future architects through hands-on learning. Visits like these help bridge university study with the realities of the construction site.