We are very proud of the design of our new restaurant and want you to be able to share our story. We hope it will help you to understand our philosophy and enjoy your experience with us a little more

Britain's top 30 seaside restaurants
Daily Telegraph

Design

Heatherwick Studio is one of the UK’s leading design practices. The studio was founded in 1994, bringing together architects, product designers and engineers within a single practice. Their projects embrace architecture, master-planning, infrastructure, sculpture and product design. The studio has a proven track record for delivering consistently high quality innovative schemes for clients worldwide. Heatherwick Studio were formally briefed in September 2005 to create a new cafe building on the site of an existing seafront kiosk.

Thomas and his design team, headed by Peter Ayres, set out to create a building that would not only become a popular local cafe and attraction but a place of what they called “prospect and refuge”, with generous views of the sea and a cosy atmosphere whatever the weather.

Thomas says: "The seaside at Littlehampton has a raw beauty. It isn't fiddly or fuzzy, or about dolphins and anchors, and our building has been designed to fit into this context. Our challenge is to build a functional and durable structure on a tight budget, where you can eat a Mr. Whippy or drink Dom Perignon."

The existing kiosk sat on the seafront promenade at Littlehampton facing the sea and was only able to operate in fine weather. The furniture used on the deck of the old kiosk was stored in the serving area; and as there was no shelter from the rain, the kiosk had no choice but to remain closed during inclement weather. When the kiosk was closed East Beach was bereft of amenities, with a loss of activity leading to a possible increase in antisocial behaviour in the area.

Prior to Jane and her daughter Sophie taking over the site, there was planning permission for a proposed 80-seater restaurant building to replace the kiosk. This was a 30 metre long, 5.5 metre tall building, and would have had a significant impact on views from the South Terrace Conservation Area.

The East Beach Cafe is no ordinary seaside kiosk, rising like a piece of weatherworn driftwood washed up on Littlehampton’s East Beach; it is at once familiar and alien to its coastal surroundings. The Cafe is a bold statement that has already made Littlehampton a destination for day tripping design and architecture junkies, while at the same time providing local residents with a local cafe to call their own. 

The Heatherwick studio were formally briefed in September 2005 to create a new cafe building on the site of an existing seafront.

Design Overview

The East Beach Cafe is a south-facing single storey building. The new Cafe is lower than the previous application and takes a long, undulating form, in consideration of the fact that the location is dominated by the horizon. The thin footprint has developed from the dual constraints of the public promenade at the front and the utilities running along the rear of the site.

The shell of the building provides both its skin and structure. It comprises a steel outer layer, which is cut at a shallow angle into a series of vertical slices. Its rippling form conjures up a wide variety of visual metaphors.

One of the goals of the design was to add a level of interest and detail to the rear view of the Cafe that would work both close-up and at a distance. Its impact on the South Terrace Conservation Area and for passers-by on Sea Road has been carefully considered as part of the design development.

Materials and structure

The choice of materials has played a key part in developing the building concept. The exposed seaside location will subject the building to heavy weathering, with the high salt content of the air speeding the natural degradation of all materials. With this in mind, Thomas Heatherwick opted for naturally finished materials that respond well to the local environment. The mild steel shell that forms the outer skin will rust and gain character as it ages, while an oil based coating applied after the surface has ‘weathered’ will help to prolong the life of the building.

Rather than use a traditional structural method in which one part rests on another, the primary structure of the building is a ‘monocoque’ steel shell in which all parts act together, similar to the hull of a ship.

Construction

The design of the Cafe is complex and the budget for construction was small. As a result, the Heatherwick Studio loaded the complex construction towards the primary structural and waterproofing element; - the steel skin of the building. The skin of the Cafe has been prefabricated off-site and as such its construction can run in parallel to demolition and site preparatory work. Thomas Heatherwick also used the local steelwork expertise of Littlehampton Welding, who built his Paddington bridge to construct the structural shell of the building.

Investing precision and expertise in the outer shell permits it to be used as a template to which internal surfaces and fixtures can be moulded.

To realise the unique structural form of the Cafe, Heatherwick Studio employed the services of Adams Kara Taylor, a progressive, design-led Structural and Civil Engineering Consultancy based in London. Their office has quickly become one of the leading practices in the world, collaborating with many of the best architects, developers and contractors in the country. They have worked on innovative architectural projects including Zaha Hadid’s Wolfsburg Science Centre and jumped at the chance to work on such a remarkable yet small scale project.

Dave Rayment, Associate at Adams Kara Taylor says: ‘Contemporary architecture often weaves the structural aspects within the architectural idea. Thomas’ concept demanded just this understanding with a full expression of all structural elements, from the rippling form of the steel skin to the columns integrated within the glazed façade. Rather than build a structural frame clad with steel panels, the steel shell which forms the external skin also acts as the building structure. The architect’s digital 3D model of the complex geometry was directly imported into a finite element design package, allowing the inherent stiffness of the sculptural shell to be modelled with the latest digital analysis methodology partly developed at AKT. The glazed wall facing the sea is articulated by a series of columns fabricated from steel plate which incorporate rainwater pipes, glazing frames and shutter guide rails.