In 2012, White Arkitecter & Sprunt completed the the Cultural Centre on Southend Pier in Essex. A purpose-built cultural centre for events and public facilities, the Pavilion intends to re-energise the Victorian pier for the modern age. 

In the Early 1800s Southend was largely bypassed as a tourist destination due to the low tidal levels, which meant that pleasure boats were unable to disembark in the area. A lobby was pushed to create a pier to allow boats to dock and get tourists onto the shore at Southend. The first pier at was a short wooden structure which opened in 1830.  Several extensions were made throughout the Victorian era. This was replaced by an iron pier in the late 1880s. At over 2100m became, and remains, the longest leisure pier in the world.

Southend Pier Cultural Centre won the RIBA East Award in 2013