Primark, Western Road, Brighton

Originally founded back in 1969,  Dublin headquartered multinational fashion retailer, Primark, has expanded to become a household name, with shops on many of the major high streets.

One such location is in the seaside town of Brighton, where on Western Road, this art deco style building became part of Primark in 2007.

Previously a British Home Stores (BHS) in 1931 and later a C&A fashion store, it is  one of several buildings that appeared on the main street during the mid-war epoch and features wing-life motifs along the facade.

The building’s exterior was in need of renovation, in part due to its age, and due to its seaside location. The project required renovation works to the existing previously painted render to retain the Art Deco style and improve the energy efficiency of the building envelope. As well as replacing the façade glazing with a new curtain walling system.

The contractor, Uplands Retail Ltd, contacted KEIM Mineral Paints as it was proposed that all existing coatings were to be removed, so they required a breathable paint.

Richard Perry, National Sales Manager of KEIM, visited the project and recommended removing all existing coatings with KEIM STS 7M, an environmentally friendly, non-hazardous paint stripper.

Plymouth based decorators, The Rogers Group, trialled KEIM STS 7M and were happy with the results.

KEIM Soldalit Grob, a textured undercoat, was then applied to equalise surface textures, followed by a two-coat system of KEIM Soldalit-ME in colours 9497 and 9154.

Using KEIM Mineral Paints not only preserves the buildings architectural heritage but also provides long-term protection against environmental factors. The nature of the paints ensure that moisture does not become trapped within  the building fabric offering full breathability and longevity.