Decontextualise to Decolonise: Regency Capital

Alex Gheorghe from the Interior Architecture course at the University of Brighton writes about a Regency Capital as part of the Decontextualise to Decolonise project.

Tides of Heritage

This project looks at how we can change old buildings to make them more relevant today. It focuses on an old part of a Regency building called a column capital. This is a decorative feature from the Regency era (about the 1800s). This part of the building, once found in old buildings in Brighton, is reimagined in a new way. The column capital is moved to a seaside area near the Brighton i360, mixing the city’s old and new styles.

The project also challenges colonial ideas that are tied to old buildings. It shows how we can think about the capital in a new way by taking it out of its old setting. In this project, it is placed in a modern, public space. The capital has become part of the present. To help connect the past with the future, new capsule pods are added to the area. These pods help the design feel connected to both history, the present, and the future. This project shows how architecture can help us rethink culture and history in public spaces.