Slipper Baths development, Brighton

RIBA Stage: 2-4 (Design, Planning, Technical Design)

Project Value: £1,500,000

Sector: Local Authority / Sheltered Housing

Consultants: Wilbury Planning (Planning), Peter Dann (Structural), Pope Consulting (MEP)

Originally built as one of Brighton's first communal bath houses, this landmark building in the centre of Brighton has passed through several uses over the years, including offices, a nursery and a dance school. Sitting within a conservation area, the building carries genuine historic value, and any new use needed to respect its character while bringing it back into productive, long term use.

We designed a conversion of the building to provide 11 new affordable housing units, working sensitively within the constraints of the conservation area and the building's historic fabric. A shared communal garden was introduced to give residents outdoor amenity space in a dense city centre location, and inset roof balconies were designed to provide private outdoor space without disrupting the building's roofline and streetscape presence. The roof space itself was adapted to accommodate a further 3 units, maximising the development potential of the site while remaining sympathetic to the building's original character.

The result is a thoughtful reuse of a historically significant Brighton building, delivering meaningful new housing in the heart of the city centre. For a council project or procurement manager considering an architect for heritage led residential conversions and affordable housing delivery in conservation areas, this project reflects our experience balancing historic building constraints with the practical demands of increasing housing density.