The City of London Corporation has selected a consortium led by Turner Prize-winning architecture practice Assemble to design a comprehensive wayfinding upgrade for the Grade II-listed Barbican Centre. The multidisciplinary team, co-led by Assemble and Paris-based Designers Unit, will also collaborate with Tactile Studio to transform visitor navigation throughout the iconic Brutalist complex.
The ambitious project aims to create more intuitive and accessible visitor journeys through the Barbican Centre, which has long been notorious for its confusing layout and poor navigation systems. The wayfinding upgrade will coincide with extensive restoration and refurbishment plans for key public spaces throughout the complex, including the main foyers, lakeside terrace, and conservatory areas.
This navigation overhaul represents a crucial component of the first phase of the massive $230 million Barbican Renewal program, currently being implemented by renowned firms Allies and Morrison alongside Asif Khan Studio. The two practices unveiled their latest comprehensive plans for the renewal scheme in May of last year, marking a significant milestone in the center's modernization efforts.
"We're thrilled to announce the appointment of Assemble, working with Designers Unit, to lead the development of a new wayfinding scheme for the Barbican Centre," said Philippa Simpson, Barbican director of buildings and renewal. "Assemble's empathetic and intelligent design sensibility and impressive track record of working with communities and users make them the ideal practice to lead this process. Combined with Designers Unit's experience in navigating challenging spaces, this expert team are perfectly placed to bring clarity to the Barbican site while retaining the magic of its complexity."
Assemble founding partner Giles Smith expressed enthusiasm about the prestigious appointment, stating: "It is a wonderful privilege to be working with such an extraordinary and well-loved institution as the Barbican Centre. We've long been fans of the center and its architecture, and are looking forward to developing a wayfinding system that helps even more people enjoy its many charms."
David Lebreton, founding partner of Designers Unit, acknowledged the unique challenges posed by the project: "Finding your way around the Barbican Centre has always been a challenge, and I believe we could even think of it as part of its identity. So, it's quite an opportunity, and we are both proud and very happy to take it on."
The Barbican Centre stands as an architectural masterpiece designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and completed in 1982, serving as the centerpiece of the City's large-scale Barbican Estate post-war reconstruction project. The massive complex houses an impressive array of cultural facilities, including a concert hall, theater, cinema, two art galleries, a conference center, library, restaurants, and expansive public foyers.
The current wayfinding system, originally developed by design studio Cartlidge Levene, has been in place for more than two decades and is now considered outdated for the center's evolving needs. Over recent decades, the building has undergone a series of significant upgrades and improvements. AHMM completed a substantial $12.6 million overhaul of the complex in 2006 and later created a $3.4 million street-level cinema complex along with renewed retail spaces.
In 2019, Ruff Architects carried out an important environmental upgrade of the center's main art gallery, demonstrating the ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving the facility. Most recently, in August, the City of London Corporation and Barbican Centre announced a search for visionary proposals for the future development of the Barbican's currently vacant exhibition halls.
Subject to planning permission approval, the comprehensive Barbican Renewal program is scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with the first phase targeted for completion in time for the Barbican's 50th anniversary celebration in 2032. Assemble, the London-based practice working across the fields of art, architecture, and design, gained international recognition in 2015 when it won the prestigious Turner Prize for its transformative Granby Four Streets project in Liverpool, making it uniquely qualified to tackle this complex navigation challenge.
