The Jerwood Foundation has opened its ￡4 million gallery in Hastings, designed by HAT and built on the site of a former coach and lorry park.

Sitting among Hastings’ net shops on the edge of the beach, the gallery is clad in more than 8,000 hand-glazed black ceramic tiles.

Tom Grieve and Hana Loftus of HAT Projects said: “The ambition of the design has been to create a new civic focus while remaining sensitive to the extraordinary character of the site.

“The building celebrates the changing seaside light and draws in the fantastic views that the site offers, creating an intimate environment in which to discover the art it contains.”

The gallery contains the Jerwood Foundation’s collection of 20th and 21st century art, which is on public display for the first time.

HAT masterplanned the site which also includes a hard landscaped square, a community building and toilets designed by Tim Ronalds Architects.

The project is part of a ￡9 million redevelopment of the historic Stade area in Hastings’ old town.