Press room

The Barbican Centre has launched a unique opportunity for a wayfinding designer to reimagine navigation across its iconic and famously complex site as part of the Barbican Renewal programme. 

This ambitious project aims to deliver a comprehensive, accessible, and intuitive wayfinding strategy that will transform how millions of visitors experience the Grade II-listed cultural landmark.

Over the next five years, phase one of the Barbican Renewal programme will deliver significant improvements across the Barbican Centre, in particular in the free public spaces of the lakeside, foyers and conservatory. The wayfinding project will play a major role in enhancing the Centre’s functionality and reinforcing its identity as a global hub for the arts.

Since opening in 1982, the Barbican’s multi-layered design has presented ongoing challenges for wayfinding and navigation. Despite multiple interventions over the decades that made very real improvements, visitors still frequently highlight wayfinding as a source of confusion, and it was the most prominent issue raised in an early public consultation for the Renewal programme. 

This project aims to solve these challenges holistically, tackling the internal and external navigation of the Centre, while also connecting with other planned wayfinding and public realm projects to improve the visibility and accessibility of routes to the Barbican from surrounding streets and transport hubs. 

The selected designer will be tasked with creating a wayfinding system that supports the Barbican’s goals of being more connected, and of making the site more accessible and inclusive. 

Philippa Simpson, Director of Buildings and Renewal, says; “The Barbican is a world-renowned multi-arts centre, an icon of Brutalist architecture but it’s equally famous for being difficult to navigate, particularly for new visitors. This is a unique opportunity to tackle one of London’s trickiest design challenges and bring clarity to this cultural landmark. The Renewal programme will not only address functionality of the Barbican’s buildings but will clarify and celebrate the Barbican’s identity and purpose through exceptional design.”

Last week, the City of London Corporation, the Barbican’s founder and principal funder, approved £191 million towards the Renewal Programme, which represents around 80% of what’s needed for the full five-year phase. 

The Barbican Centre is inviting submissions from wayfinding designers to undertake this prestigious five-year contract. Full details are available on the City of London’s procurement portal.