Bridlington Spa Refurbishment

Background

Bridlington Spa is a much cherished and valued amenity, which houses events of national and international repute. The functions and attractions that come to Bridlington through the doors of the Spa bring considerable added value to the towns economy. However the Spa is at a crossroads and faces a number of challenges.

To maintain its position and attractiveness, the building needs to be brought up to date and fit for the type of activities that are likely to come to the building in the future.

To sustain its market position the Spa must improve and update essential facilitates and introduce more flexible and attractive features, which will help attract new business.

The building has passed its Best By Date and outdated facilities such as toilets and difficulties of access into and around the building must be addressed without detracting from the inherent quality of its main spaces. In its heyday The Spa was a landmark building and this needs to be re-established both physically and in peoples minds.

What the public wanted

As a result of the questionnaires received following the public exhibition held at Leisure World in September 2004, and from that months issue of Regeneration News, your views indicated tremendous support for the refurbishment of the Spa.

In summary:

Over 90% of those responses supported the refurbishment approach, rather than redevelopment or do nothing.
Many felt that although the Spa needs refurbishment and modernisation it should be done in a way that retains its special character and features.
The Spa is one of Bridlington's best assets.
The Spa is a landmark that should be kept.
The Spa needs to improve its facilities to attract new business to the town.
Concerns were voiced regarding whether the existing building was suitable for refurbishment, whether the proposals were ambitious enough, and about the costs.


What was done about it

The Brief

The Spa should re-establish itself as a landmark building for Bridlington in all seasons, both day and night, both inside and out. The refurbished facilities should enhance the sense of welcome, creativity, activity and dynamism for those who come to provide entertainment and for those who come to participate or be entertained.

To achieve this

The Refurbishment Scheme must rely heavily on upgrading and maximising the use of the existing building so that it becomes an attractive place for events, entertainment and conferences. However, the Scheme will also provide opportunity for architecture and design innovation to ensure that future generations recognise with pride the special impact that this Scheme has had on their landmark building.

The existing building

The Royal Spa represents a vital ingredient in the civic infrastructure of Bridlington and the East Riding. However, both the Theatre and the Royal Hall currently suffer from poor accessibility and image.

The current layout of the Spa is confusing with a multitude of changes of level and poor linkages between rooms.
The condition of the building varies from poor to average and it has undoubtedly seen better days.
Fundamental issues are apparent with the facilities compared with a modern building but these can be overcome with the scope and level of refurbishment envisaged.


Key elements of the Re-development

Improving circulation and accessibility within the building

The proposal is to reorganise and remodel the circulation space between the Theatre and the Royal Hall. This presents an opportunity for a dramatic improvement with the introduction of a view through the building to the seafront the natural focus for the main circulation, containing lifts and stairs to link all levels and functions. This would improve clarity and convenience whilst enhancing the effectiveness of the building.

New entrance foyer

Combined with the main circulation space above, a new entrance will be the external demonstration of the changes within the building, allowing the Spa to signal its new purpose and its role in the 21st century.

Refurbishment of the Theatre and Royal Hall

The attraction of customers, artists, conference trade, exhibitions etc to the Spa is a critical part of the business case for the refurbishment works. To attract this business, the facilities need to be integrated and flexible and the standards of accessibility and service to be of the highest order.

In this respect, the linking of the Theatre and Royal Hall, the refurbishment of the toilets and catering spaces along with the provision of a range of quality multifunctional rooms are pivotal features.