Students showcase innovative designs for Newhaven and Dieppe in exhibition exploring architecture’s role in tackling the climate crisis.
13 October 2025
The exhibition, at the Marine Workshops in Newhaven, is part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Newhaven–Dieppe ferry link and highlights the historic and cultural connection between the two port towns, including their shared ambitions for sustainable regeneration and community-led design.
The work, by MA Architecture students, is a response to the question of how design can connect people, place, and ecology. Projects look at how familiar environments can adapt to the challenges of climate change, working with communities to build a more sustainable and socially just future.
Exhibits range from reimagining old industrial buildings as creative community workshops to designing floating spaces that bring people closer to the water and reviving the high street as a cultural landmark in Newhaven.
Each project explores how we can live in harmony with the planet – repairing what’s been lost, rethinking how we build, and rediscovering our connection with nature. Together, they show how good design can make everyday life more sustainable, social, and hopeful.
Exhibiting students include Zoe Li and Harry Wesley who are both studying Architecture RIBA Part 2 MArch.
Harry said: “Designing with timber made me think differently about value. What we already have can be the start of something new – both for places and for people.”
Zoe said: "Exhibiting my work has been an incredible experience. It’s one thing to develop ideas in the studio but seeing them on display and sharing them with the public gives them a new life. I hope my project can spark conversations about how architecture can enable sustainable, community-driven change."
Duncan Baker-Brown, Course Leader and Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton’s School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering, said: “At the University of Brighton, we are committed to nurturing designers who think beyond buildings – shaping sustainable, regenerative solutions that have real impact locally and globally. Our students’ work shows how architecture can respond creatively to the climate emergency while supporting communities and restoring the natural environment.”
Duncan Baker-Brown
The exhibition opens with a Private View on 16 October (6–8pm) at Marine Workshops in Newhaven and will remain on display 16–19 October 2025 and from 23–26 October 2025. The exhibition is free and open to the public daily from 10am–4pm.
Principal Lecturer – School of Arch, Tech and Eng
Community21 – Social and Sustainable Design Research Excellence Group, Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, Design for Circular Cities and Regions (DCCR) Research Excellence Group