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Barbican Renewal Consultation: Conservatory

Barbican Conservatory

The Barbican Conservatory is a much-loved urban oasis where immersive planting meets monumental Brutalist architecture. It is famed for its dramatic and lush greenery which includes some rare and endangered flora. 

At its centre is the Theatre fly tower, from which scenery for productions on the stage - six stories below - is lowered into place.

The Conservatory is one of the most remarkable and yet least accessible places within the Centre, as it is currently used primarily for private events and is only regularly open to the public on Sundays.

Despite the dedication and skill of our gardening team, the Conservatory has faced persistent challenges: ageing glass, problematic heating and cooling systems, and outdated horticultural infrastructure that make maintaining the plants a constant uphill battle. The original layout is inaccessible with many steps, stairs and narrow pathways.

Crucially, the decades-old waterproofing has failed and the Conservatory leaks into the Theatre below. Fully re-waterproofing requires the existing floor and planting to be removed, which creates an opportunity to deal with some of the historic challenges and to sensitively revitalise the space, returning some features to their original locations and providing full level access to every area of the space. 

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Conservatory: current condition

Architectural plan of the Conservatory from above, points 1 to 14
A view of the Conservatory roof

1

Many glass panels are cracked or damaged, with others at risk of future failure. There is an urgent need for full glazing replacement. The glass also does not allow through enough light for plant growth, health, flowering and energy production

A patch of damp on the ceiling and walls of the conservatory

2

Waterproofing needs full replacement to stop the damaging leaks into the Theatre below 

A close up of some overgrown plants in the Conservatory

3

Planting is overgrown in places and planters have degraded

A blue trolley is left outside of a cluttered bench in the Conservatory

4

The lack of any back-of-house space for gardeners means maintenance activity takes place in full view. This presents health and safety challenges as well as impacting the visitor experience 

A pile of stacked chairs sit messily in a corner of the conservatory

5

Inadequate storage space means public spaces are often filled with clutter

  1. Dead ends deny the opportunity for a circular and accessible route around the Conservatory
  2. To make the space comfortable for events, large quantities of energy are used to heat it 
  3. Automated ventilation and irrigation systems have failed, affecting the health of the plants
  4. Almost half of the existing plants are in poor health or have high levels of pest and disease
  5. Current pond location has inadequate light for aquatic plants
  6. Routes between planters are too narrow for wheelchairs, making much of the space inaccessible
  7. Multiple level changes throughout the space mean only about 30% of the space is accessible without using stairs
  8. With no subdivision in the space, the entire Conservatory needs to be closed for a single private event booking 
A collection of cacti and other plants from the arid house

14

The arid house is currently closed to the public and its low roof limits growth of larger specimens

Our vision for the Conservatory

The revitalised Conservatory will be a free, welcoming and accessible public green space that celebrates and honours the bold vision conceived by the Centre’s original architects, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon.

In tackling the infrastructural issues, opportunities arise for a series of subtle yet high impact improvements to how the Conservatory is experienced.

A view of the proposed arrival through the original entrance from Sculpture Court, showing the new stairs and lift to access the fly tower

A sketch of how the Conservatory entrance could look

Design principles

Repair and conserve 

The building exterior will be sensitively replaced using as much original fabric as possible. Current health and safety challenges around maintenance of the facades will be addressed through the works. The floor will be fully re-waterproofed to tackle leaks into the Theatre below. 

Reactivate space

Glazing in the internal terrace will enable the public to have free daily access throughout the week to the main Conservatory space, while the Garden Room and Terrace will continue to host private events. 

Focus on sustainability 

Building fabric and infrastructure will be upgraded to provide passive control as far as possible, in line with City of London Corporation’s net zero ambitions, whilst embodied carbon during construction will be minimised 

Design for all 

Adjustments to the layout of planters and beds will ensure universal access for all visitors; a new stair and lift will provide access to the upper balconies, as envisaged in the original plans, offering new perspectives and increasing the available public space by 25 per cent. 

Currently only around 30 per cent of the Conservatory is fully accessible, due to narrow paths, steps and other obstacles. Current proposals will ensure that everyone has access to the whole public space, including opening up areas that are currently closed. 

In the image below, the plan on the left shows the existing accessible areas on Level 3 in green and the inaccessible areas in red, while the plan on the right shows the proposed accessible areas on Level 3 in green.

 

Two layouts of the conservatory, showing accessible routes: the current layout is mostly inaccessible, while the proposed layout is highly accessible

Conservatory: the vision

A plan of the proposed Conservatory, displaying points 1 though 9
  1. A new lift and stair will provide universal access to the currently inaccessible flytower balconies, providing new views and perspectives
  2. Planters and levels will be reconfigured to achieve step-free universal access throughout the entire conservatory, taking the accessible areas from 30% to 100% 
  3. A new glazed enclosure will create separate event spaces in the Garden Room and Terrace to allow public access within the main conservatory space to continue when these are in use 
  4. A new arrival and welcome area for visitors to meet, gather and dwell directly connected to the highwalk thoroughfare on one side and the Sculpture Court on the other 
  5. Dedicated back of house area for the Gardening Team including a purpose-built nursery for plant propagation 
  6. Water feature relocated to a more appropriate location with better access to sunlight, in line with original design drawings 
  7. A revitalised Conservatory will support an enhanced creative offer, speaking to existing and new audiences through integrated arts and learning programming 
  8. A subtle adjustment to the façade line here will complete the circular route around the flytower balconies at each level achieving a greater variety of routes and ways to explore the space
  9. More areas to gather and sit will be integrated into the landscape design

Planting

Sensitive improvements and restoration to the Conservatory will ensure that the planting remains the star of the show - true to the architects’ original vision, amplifying and enhancing what already makes this unique space so special.

Celebrating the relationship between planting and architecture

The relationship between planting and architecture is what defines the Barbican Conservatory – an iconic example of “eco-Brutalism”. The bold foliage, striking textures and cinematic scale will remain - with improved conditions that allow the planting to reach its full potential. By combining modernist planting design, specialist glasshouse horticultural expertise and world-class environmental engineering, the Conservatory will honour its past while ensuring its relevance and sustainability for the future.

A return to lost features

A central water feature, originally envisioned but never realised, will finally take its rightful place, creating a home for aquatic plants that is far better suited to condition needs than the current pond. Here, plants have always struggled in the shade and draughts.  

Meanwhile, the east side will transition to a drier planting scheme, in keeping with original vision for this area. The cacti collection—currently confined to locked room where their growth is restricted —will be moved to a more spacious, prominent, sunnier area where it can be enjoyed by all.

What happens to the existing plants?  

A specialist horticultural team is assessing every plant in the Conservatory to determine the best course of action. Some of the plants are in poor condition with pests and disease and will not be able to be re-used. Wherever possible we aim to reuse, rehome, or breed new specimens —to ensure continuity while preparing for a sustainable future.  

The principles of eco-brutalist planting design, which define the Barbican Conservatory’s current planting, will remain central to its future planting strategy.

Future planting design

A pencil drawing of eco-modernist planting, using bold shapes and foliage

Eco-modernism

Bold shapes and foliage contrasting with the architectural background

A sketch of lush and immersive planting

Immersive

Lush planting inviting and wrapping visitors in the plants 

A sketch of a visitor in a wheelchair with companion looking at layers of plants

Layers and horizons

Providing a variety of viewpoints from all three levels of the Conservatory

A colour sketch in green and brown showing plants at the ground and then in ascending shelves

Structure

Hierarchy within the planting creating focal points to frame the space and catch the eye 

A sketch of leaves and grass of different textures

Contrast of textures

 Bringing interest from afar and close-up

A colour, green, pink, orange and blue sketch of theatrical plants and flowers

Theatricality

Dramatic, iconic and architectural plants

A bird's eye view map of the Conservatory, listing the three planting zones

Indicative planting zones

The principles of eco-Brutalist planting design, which define the Barbican Conservatory’s current planting, will remain central to its future planting strategy. 

The plan shows the indicative proposed planting zones:

1. Temperate subtropical zone
2. Temperate dry zone
3. Arid zone

 

A close up of template plants from the Conservatory

1. Temperate subtropical zone

Example image of the type of planting envisaged

A temperate dry zone, with a mix of cacti and lush plants and trees

2. Temperate dry zone

Example image of the type of planting envisaged

A collection of plants and trees in the arid zone, lots of different varieties

3. Arid zone

Example image of the type of planting envisaged

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