The Barbican Centre in the City of London will undergo a significant redevelopment over the next five years, ahead of its 50th anniversary. The renewal plans, which are to be funded by the City of London Corporation and a public fundraising campaign, include the closure of the main spaces in the multi-arts centre in 2028.
Spaces that will close include the concert hall and theatre, home to the London Symphony Orchestra and a base for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Most arts programmes within the Centre – which comprises theatres, art galleries, concert halls and cinemas, a conservatory, a library and conference facilities, as well as public and community spaces, restaurants, bars and lakeside open spaces – will pause, although the cinemas, which sit on the outer edge of the centre, will remain open.
The London Symphony Orchestra’s Managing Director, Kathryn McDowell, said that the orchestra’s 2026–27 and 2027–28 seasons at the Barbican would proceed as planned, with the 2028–29 season to be performed across London and on tour. LSO St Luke’s, which itself recently reopened after a year-long refurbishment, will stay open throughout the Barbican’s closure and will become the hub of operations with an expanded schedule of concerts, recordings and broadcasts.
The Barbican, which opened in 1982, welcomes millions of visitors each year, but after four decades of intensive use, its buildings have deteriorated significantly. As well as the main arts spaces, the distinctive brutalist foyers, lakeside terrace and conservatory will be restored and enhanced, and vital infrastructure – such as toilets, multi-faith and quiet rooms, ramps and automatic doors, and full accessibility throughout – will be upgraded. There will be major changes to mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems to reduce energy consumption.
The refit also promises enhanced way-finding to tackle the Centre's well-documented and long-standing issues with confusing multiple entrances and a labyrinthine layout, which meant the Barbican was once dubbed “the world’s most bewildering arts centre” and “an artistic success but a design nightmare”.
Much of the upgrade work will be geared towards improving energy efficiency and reducing the Centre’s carbon footprint. Measures include improved glazing and doors, LED lighting, and rainwater harvesting for toilets and irrigation. Original materials, including Conservatory glass and pavers, will be reused or transformed.
Philippa Simpson, the Barbican’s Director for Buildings & Renewal, said: “The Barbican rose from the ruins of a bomb site nearly 50 years ago, and in summer 2029 we will embrace that same spirit of optimism – renewed, revitalised, and ready for the future.”
Works are already underway, as the first phase of the £191m funding was approved by the City of London Corporation in December 2024. In January 2026, the Theatre will undergo essential works for three months. With the full plans now approved by the City, major construction is scheduled to start in 2027, with completion in 2030 ahead of the Barbican’s 50th anniversary.
