Barbican Centre Renewal Competition News
22 September 2026
Sculpture Court Revived Project
Design: architects Allies and Morrison ; engineers Buro Happold
Barbican secures green light and initial support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to revive Sculpture Court
The Barbican Centre has secured planning permission to restore and revive its iconic one-acre Sculpture Court, transforming it into a new, fully accessible public space that will open in 2030.
Located above the Concert Hall and framed by the curve of Frobisher Crescent, the semicircular Sculpture Court was originally conceived as a space where people could experience art and architecture as part of their daily lives.
Limited accessibility, poor seating and deteriorating infrastructure have meant, however, that the space is currently largely unused by the public. Critical conservation work is also needed to protect the hall below.
The City of London Corporation-approved plans will bring step-free access throughout the Sculpture Court, new climate-resilient planting, improved lighting, upgraded infrastructure for events, new accessible seating and paths, and enhanced wayfinding.
Together, these improvements will transform the Court into a welcoming space for people and communities to gather, experience art and events, while protecting the heritage significance of the Grade II* listed landscape.
photograph © Nick Weall
Alongside the physical transformation, the project has been shaped through engagement with local communities, visitors and audiences to date. Young people aged between 16-25 took part in a dedicated Co-Design Day, sharing ideas for how the Sculpture Court could feel more inclusive, how it could support outdoor programming across the seasons, and how planting could enhance the space.
Thanks to National Lottery players, the project has also been awarded development funding of £147k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to enable detailed design, heritage research, community engagement and archive development, ahead of applying for a full National Lottery grant at a later date.
If successful, the multi-million pound award will help reawaken the Sculpture Court as a vibrant public space that brings people together through culture, learning and shared experience.
Philippa Simpson, Chief Operating Officer, Barbican Centre, said:
“The Sculpture Court was originally conceived as a place where people could experience great art in a beautiful Brutalist setting. We’re pleased our plans to bring this extraordinary space back to life have been approved by the City of London Corporation.
“We’re also grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for backing us at this stage and to those that have helped shape the plans so far, from neighbours to young people. Culture belongs to everyone, to our communities and to the next generation.
“These milestones represent further momentum in the Barbican Centre’s renaissance, securing the future of a cultural icon and global destination as we approach our 50th birthday, and making sure these special spaces continue to inspire people for generations to come.”
Colette Stevenson, Head of Capital Campaigns, Barbican Centre, said:
“We’re hugely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for helping us take this project forward. While essential conservation work will protect the Sculpture Court and the Concert Hall below, this project is also an opportunity to realise the space’s full potential, work with our communities and develop our plans in greater detail. Support from funders and donors enables us to go beyond essential repairs and create places that are more accessible, more welcoming and more relevant to the communities we serve.”
City of London Corporation Policy Chairman, Chris Hayward, said:
“This decision marks an exciting step forward for the Barbican Centre and will transform the Sculpture Court into an open and accessible space, ready for the future.
“The City of London Corporation is proud to have backed the Barbican Centre’s renewal, ensuring one of London’s most important cultural assets continues to benefit residents, workers and visitors for generations to come. It forms part of the City Corporation’s continued investment in the Square Mile, supporting our wider ambitions to strengthen the City as a world-class destination for business, innovation and culture.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England, London & South, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“The Sculpture Court is a much-loved part of the Barbican’s remarkable heritage and one of London’s most distinctive Grade II* listed Brutalist landscapes. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are delighted to support the development of plans to revive it, creating a more welcoming and accessible space for people to enjoy. This project will not only safeguard its heritage for future generations but also establish a vibrant urban green space that will enrich the Barbican experience for visitors and the local community. We look forward to seeing the plans progress as the Barbican reimagines this important place for the next generation.”
The Sculpture Court Revived project is designed by architects Allies and Morrison and engineers Buro Happold. It forms part of the Barbican Renewal programme, a major investment in the Centre’s future, that will restore and revitalise some of its most iconic spaces ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2032.
photograph © Adrian Welch
The City of London Corporation has committed £191 million towards the £231 million needed to complete the 2025-30 phase of Barbican Renewal. Additional philanthropic and partnership support will be sought to ensure the full artistic and civic ambition of the programme.
The Barbican will continue to welcome audiences throughout the works. During a year-long period from June 2028, when work takes place in the Sculpture Court, Foyers and Lakeside spaces, the Centre will take programming beyond its walls with an ambitious season of performances, exhibitions and events across London. Plans for this programme will be unveiled in early 2027.
The renewed Sculpture Court will open in 2030.
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Previously on e-architect:
28 Apr 2022
Winning design team to lead Barbican Centre renewal
Design: architects Allies and Morrison + Asif Khan Studio
Barbican Centre Renewal Competition Winners
A collaborative design team led by architects Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio, has been selected to deliver a multi-million-pound renewal of the Barbican Centre. The project will preserve the iconic building’s original architectural vision, provide new opportunities for the Barbican’s diverse community of artists, audiences, and partners, and boost the building’s accessibility and environmental performance.
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8 September 2021
Location: Barbican Centre, central London, England, UK
World’s best architects and designers asked to renew Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre Renewal Contest News
Barbican Centre Renewal Competition – City of London Corporation Architecture Competition
8th of September 2021 – The City of London Corporation has today launched its search for a design team to develop and deliver plans for a major renewal of the Barbican Centre.
photo © Nick Weall
The Barbican Renewal project, first announced in February, puts culture front-and-centre of the City’s recovery from the pandemic.
The Barbican is one of London’s most ambitious and unique architectural achievements; it is a global icon of brutalist architecture, renowned for its scale of ambition and consistency of design.
Opened by HM The Queen in 1982, the Barbican is approaching its 40th birthday, and there is the opportunity to mark this milestone with a vision that enables the building to meet the needs of 21st century artists, audiences and communities.
Applications are invited from multi-disciplinary teams who have the skills, experience and ambition to deliver a complex and detailed project whilst respecting its Grade-II listing status.
The City Corporation – the founder and principal funder of the Barbican – is seeking submissions from practices working together: architects, engineers, sustainability and heritage consultants and others, who can embed equality, diversity and inclusion into their creative vision.
The initial brief allows for the Barbican Centre to be considered in its entirety – from upgrading venues and transforming underused areas into new flexible spaces, to improving the welcome, navigating and wayfinding. Embedding digital technology across the building to enable the Barbican to connect with a global audience is also a major focus.
The Renewal Project will also tackle a critical need to make major improvements to the building’s environmental performance. Under its Climate Action Strategy, the City Corporation commits to achieving net zero carbon status for its own operations by 2027 and its investment and supply chain by 2040.
The budget for the project is subject to approval by the City Corporation, and the successful design team will be asked to develop a range of options for the project that would be deliverable at different budget levels.
For the purpose of the design team selection process, interested bidders are being asked to propose a number of design options that would be deliverable within a construction cost budget of £50m to £150m.
Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Barbican Centre Board, Tom Sleigh, said:
“Since its opening almost four decades ago, the Barbican has become a much-loved, internationally acclaimed multi-disciplinary venue for world-class arts, creative learning and community work.
“We have welcomed millions of visitors and thousands of artists, all of whom have come together to share extraordinary experiences in a unique environment.
“The Barbican project has been a huge success, but there have been dramatic changes in arts practice over the last forty years, as well as the way in which civic buildings cater to their visitors and make themselves sustainable for the future.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the world’s best architects and designers to bring together imaginative and ambitious teams to renew this iconic arts centre, adapting it to respond to the creative opportunities and urgent challenges of today’s world and ensuring that the Barbican plays a leading role in the recovery of the City, the capital and the nation from the pandemic.”
Each year, over a million people attend Barbican events performed by hundreds of artists from across the globe.
The Barbican is a key part of Culture Mile, the City of London’s cultural district, stretching from Farringdon to Moorgate. Led by the City of London Corporation, with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London, the five partners are together creating a vibrant, creative area in the north-west corner of the Square Mile.
Interested teams should submit an initial selection questionnaire by 21 October 2021.
Collaborative bids from design consortiums, particularly those that include emerging practices and widen representation within the project team, are actively encouraged. In addition, previous experience sections of the selection criteria are open to bidders who can demonstrate transferable skills that show their ability to meet the requirements of the brief.
The full brief and more details can be downloaded here.
photo © Adrian Welch
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COMPETITION
An open two-stage selection process is being run by the City Corporation – with up to five teams being shortlisted and invited to submit more details of their approach before an appointment is made.
The winning team will work with the City Corporation, the Barbican Centre and its stakeholders on the scheme.
The Barbican
A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further underpins everything it does. Over a million people attend events annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite. The architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas 1, 2 and 3, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, public spaces, a library, the Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre.
The Barbican is home to Resident Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; Associate Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Associate Ensembles the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia, Associate Producer Serious, and Artistic Partner Create. Artistic Associates include Boy Blue, Cheek by Jowl, Deborah Warner, Drum Works and Michael Clark Company. The Los Angeles Philharmonic are the Barbican’s International Orchestral Partner, the Australian Chamber Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble.
Barbican Centre Arts Centre Building
The arts centre building comprises:
• the Barbican Hall (1,943 seat concert hall)
• the Barbican Theatre (1,156 seat theatre)
• The Pit (164 seat studio theatre)
• Cinemas 1 (280 seat), 2 (153 seat) and 3 (153 seat)
• Barbican Art Gallery, and a second gallery The Curve
• public spaces
• a library
• the Lakeside Terrace
• a tropical glasshouse conservatory
• event and conference facilities, including the Barbican Exhibition Halls on Beech Street
• three restaurants
• car parks
Barbican Centre Renewal images / information received 080921
Location: Barbican Centre, London, England, UK
Barbican Centre Buildings
Barbican Estate Architecture
Barbican Centre London
photograph © Nick Weall
Museum of London: MOL Barbican Centre
photo © Edmund Sumner
Centre for Music London Competition Shortlist
photo By Andy oxford (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Barbican Centre Cinema London Building
The Building UK Premiere, Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre Refurbishment architects office : Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Barbican Centre Film – Architecture on Film : Suburban Dreams
Barbican Centre, London – www.barbican.org.uk
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Architecture in London
Contemporary Architecture in London
London Architecture Links – chronological list
London Architecture Walking Tours
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