Dover District Council originally opened ‘The White Cliffs Experience’ in 1991; however, the local visitor attraction never took off due to its location and was subsequently closed. The centre reopened as the Dover Discovery Centre and was re-utilised as a library, registration service, adult education centre, community theatre, privately-run nursery and Dover Museum. In recent years, Dover District Council wanted to refurbish some aspects of the building and understand what additional local services could be located within the building, such as services provided at a local family centre and care home.

We were subsequently appointed as the multi-disciplinary design team to develop several feasibility studies and provide concept designs which were designed to BIM Level 2. This was to offer options and ideas to not only improve the condition of the building, but to also see what additional services could be accommodated. We understood that any planned works needed to be undertaken cognisant of the significant archaeological remains across the site. As the building was not of standard design due to its original intended use, our team worked closely with the building users to recognise and understand the multiple services, user groups and interfaces, and were delighted that our input made the scheme viable.