The Barbican is to undergo a huge renewal – and the plans have finally been approved. The City of London Corporation has green-lit the programme, which is part of a long-term plan to ‘future-proof’ Barbican Centre, ensuring that the brutalist Grade II-listed site is fit for generations to come.
Barbican Renewal render, the arrival area
The Barbican Renewal Programme focuses on four core design principles: 'Repair and conserve'; 'Design for all'; 'Reactivate space' and 'Focus on sustainability'.
As well as infrastructure upgrades, the programme hopes to make the Barbican a place for all, focusing on inclusivity and accessibility with a new multi-faith room, increased bathroom provision, improved wayfinding, and full accessibility in the Conservatory.
Barbican Renewal render of the foyer
Barbican Renewal render of the Lakeside
Further plans include enhancement of the Barbican’s brutalist foyers with improved lighting, finishes and public art; the restoration of the lakeside terrace architectural features, and the conservatory, which will become a free daily public garden.
Lakeside Terrace, Barbican Centre
London-based Harris Bugg Studio is working on refreshing the Barbican Conservatory as part of the brutalist icon's ongoing renewal. The landscape designer and co-founder Charlotte Harris, spoke with Wallpaper* earlier this year, saying, ‘We’re really turning up the dial of those eco-brutalist principles: how the landscape frames and enhances the architecture and vice versa’.
The renewal works will be done in stages, starting with adaptations to the theatre in January 2026.
Major construction works won't begin until 2027, followed by full closure of the main Barbican site in June 2028 for a year.
The aim is to have the Renewal Programme complete by 2030, in time for the Barbican’s 50th anniversary in 2032.
Lakeside Terrace, Barbican Centre
Since its opening in 1982, the Barbican has become one of the world’s most notable art venues, with its architecture receiving mixed reviews from brutalist aficionados. It has welcomed millions of visitors each year, however after four decades of use, the building has deteriorated.
Barbican Centre
Philippa Simpson, Barbican director for Buildings & Renewal, told Wallpaper*, 'For almost half a century, the Barbican has brought bold, world-class creative experiences to life within an iconic space designed to inspire. As we look toward the next 50 years, this announcement signals a vital step forward, ensuring the Centre will be renewed, revitalised, and fully equipped for the generations that will follow. These essential upgrades will protect the Barbican’s legacy while giving it the modern foundations it needs to thrive long into the future'.
Silk Street entrance, Barbican Centre
Lakeside Terrace, Barbican Centre
Sir William Russell, chair of the Barbican Board, says, ‘Today marks a huge step into the Barbican’s future. We’re not just preserving the centrepiece of the UK’s largest listed site but unlocking the full potential of a cultural icon – a new dawn has begun.’
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