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Architecture

Our archive

Ever wondered how the Barbican Estate and Centre were built? Working with Google Arts & Culture, our Archive team have digitised over 3,500 objects, many of them never seen by the public before. 

Photo of Barbican Lakeside during construction

Now, we’ve turned them into an online experience using the photos, architectural plans and original documents to explore the buildings’ complex histories.  

There are 60 curated guides to selected areas of the collection, from strikes on the building site to the famous conservatory, and a glass Pyramid on the Lakeside which never got built. But you’re free to take your own route too. Wherever you are in the world, here’s your invitation to to Lose Yourself in the Barbican