Anderson Acoustics was appointed to carry out a noise impact assessment for this project on a pro bono basis and subsequently appointed to advise on the architectural acoustic design for the conversion of the parish hall at St John the Baptist Church, Brighton into a Community Hub with a teaching kitchen, dining area, food bank facility, and meeting spaces.
The hub is a sanctuary where the diverse people of East Brighton can connect and thrive, with a mission to reduce food poverty and social isolation, by welcoming and nourishing all with food, friendship and fun.
Real Junk Food Project Brighton run a daily ‘pay as you feel’ community café from the Hub using food that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
The hub is also used by Charity Voices in Exile which works with refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants offering practical support, including a food and toiletries bank for those who are destitute and legal assistance for those otherwise unable to access justice. They encourage people to work towards integration in the UK through an active programme of community volunteering and mentoring.
The hub is also home to the Brighton Table Tennis Club.
Acoustic finishes (including suspended sound absorbent rafts and bespoke perforated ply wall panels) were designed to help support speech communication to improve inclusion for those who may have additional listening needs such as the elderly, English as an additional language, social emotional and mental health needs and other listening needs. The moveable partition is acoustically rated to help with speech privacy when the room is partitioned for meeting use.
The community hub opened just at the right time to support people living locally as the cost of living crisis takes hold, with many families facing a difficult winter ahead. The images below are taken from the first community day on 26 November where we were warmly welcomed with smiles, conversation and delicious food and drink.
The images below are taken from the first community day on 26 November where we were warmly welcomed with smiles, conversation and delicious food and drink.
The Fitzherbert Community Hub continues to seek donations in order to complete and develop this notable project. Visit their website to find out how you can donate.
What people visiting had to say about the new space:-
· ‘Really feels warm and welcoming’- a parishioner
· ‘One of the best commercial kitchens I’ve seen’ – visiting business owner
· ‘Not seen anything like this anywhere, I’m bowled over’- Abbot of Worth Abbey
· ‘Probably the quietest restaurant in Brighton’ – visitor
· ‘This courtyard has the best seating in Brighton for people like me’- food bank user
Watch this short film by Stories of Note to find out more about how the FCH will positively impact the community. In the film, project lead, Herb Nahapiet, speaks about how the four partners involved in bringing the Fitzherbert Community Hub project to completion plan to deliver on their mission to reduce food poverty and isolation.
Client Testimonial
Emma who was the principal acoustic engineer was always responsive, collaborative, and professional, understanding and incorporating the social needs and values of the project. What more could a client want?! Having been a client who engaged design consultants around the world on a variety of projects for decades, I would have no hesitation in re-engaging Emma again. Herb Nahapiet, Author and Project Lead, Fitzherbert Community Hub
In June 2023, the Fitzherbert Community Centre was as a Finalist in the Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2023 in two categories, namely Regeneration/Conservation and Value. The Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards recognise the very best construction companies, collaborations and projects from across London & the South East and we certainly think this project deserves its status as a Finalist.
In July 2023, Sussex Heritage Trust awarded the Centre two awards, namely the Public and Community Award and the ECO award. The latter was awarded in recognition of the project’s commitment to excellence in sustainability, diversity and energy efficiency enhanced by the Real Junk Food reducing the wastage of food substantially and giving great benefit to hundreds of people. Again we feel these awards are also well deserved and as Herb Nahapiet, Author and Project Lead, Fitzherbert Community Hub reflects ‘well done to everyone who has contributed in so many ways for this project to be used so much already and so admired by the judges, who were very positive at the ceremony and said they were inspired by it. We have certificates and a plaque which will go up in due course. More importantly we are now more widely recognized to be making a significant contribution to the Heritage of Sussex-already!!’
