Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio to lead Barbican Centre revamp

“We are interested in the notion of 'revealing,' of finding places of untapped potential within and around the walls of the Barbican,” said Allies and Morrison’s Simon Fraser. “Not only will this approach offer substantial savings in embodied carbon, and respect the Centre’s significant heritage value, but it opens myriad opportunities for creative, inclusive reinvention.”

As the design brief stipulates, the project will entail significant improvements to the wayfinding and user experience of the overall development in addition to sustainability upgrades that will bring the now 40-year-old development in line with the city’s ambitious 2027 net-zero emissions goal.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape the future of this iconic centre for arts and learning, and strengthen its ability to play a leading role in the recovery of the City, and the capital, from the pandemic,” the Barbican Centre’s board chair Tom Sleigh shared.

Asif Khan also emphasized the importance to him as a Londoner, adding finally that his hopes are for the project to breathe new life into one of the city’s most important civic spaces.

“My dad first brought me to the Barbican just after it opened to the public in 1982. From those early visits as a two-year-old, we would spend countless Sundays enjoying the free program and public spaces […] This renewal project will care for the things we all love about the place, solving parts which could have been better, but most importantly, helping to open up the Barbican to London and Londoners in ways that couldn’t be imagined before.”