Shai Akram and Andrew Haythornthwaite have highlighted the former hotel and long-lived music venue’s original art-deco features to create Patterns nightclub in Brighton. The building’s exterior enjoys the bold colours of the art-deco era and has a distinct ‘Miami’ feeling, with palm trees and vibrant green and orange paintwork.
Shai and Andrew were approached by Mothership Group – the owner of Patterns – with a vision for a space that was hardworking, thought provoking and totally dedicated to enjoying music, sunshine and dancing, all housed in a seafront art deco building and its terrace.
Audio – the previous establishment – was a complex network of corridors and rooms, the connections between them had evolved over the course of time. One of the first things the studio proposed was to rationalise the relationship across the floors by installing a new staircase infrastructure – with Steve Searby Architects – and harmonise the relationship between the bar and basement club.
Fixed seating platforms travel across the basement club, up to the bar and out onto the terrace, creating contours and tiers for sitting. Studio Alt Shift designed and developed a bespoke table range using Terrazzo – a composite material, which is used for floor and wall treatments.
Replacing the 200m² floor with a ground asphalt surface was a huge decision for the project as it is a challenging material to bring into an interior environment. Studio Alt Shift used plenty of timber, brightly coloured upholstery and leather to temper the effect and create a space that was inviting and comfortable.
Shai and Andrew worked directly with Bell Asphalt to sample and develop a special pebble mix and aggregate proportions. IKO’s Terrazzo flooring was used for the nightclub’s floor. It is an innovative, hard-wearing material which produces a seamless and durable surface – the perfect choice for a busy nightclub. It is easy to clean and, if damaged, inexpensive to repair. The floor is a major feature of the space, bringing variation and texture as well as an incredibly durable and hardworking surface. Terrazzo assisted in complementing Patterns’ modern look. It is tailorable with different grades and a choice of five colours of stone, which are added at the mixing point to provide a bespoke finish.
The conveniences were also completely redesigned. Here, the studio produced its own cubicles and sinks to maximise the space and create an environment that really connected to the other spaces in the establishment. Terrazzo cubicle feet connect to the club’s table bases and steel troughs echo the table tops on the floors above.