Press room

The Barbican Centre has launched a public consultation on proposals to repair and re-activate its Sculpture Court - one of the Centre’s most striking yet inaccessible spaces - as it approaches its 50th anniversary. 

Located above the Concert Hall and framed by the curve of Frobisher Crescent, the 1-acre courtyard was originally meant as a multi-purpose space where art and architecture could be experienced alongside everyday life. After four decades, limited accessibility, deteriorating infrastructure and poor seating have meant the area is largely unused by the public. 

The proposals aim to bring the Sculpture Court back into daily civic life, creating a beautiful, flexible and accessible setting where people can pause, meet and encounter art, architecture and nature - while fixing urgent conservation needs that impact the hall below.

More than two thousand new plants will be introduced through a series of large, brick planters that speak to the brutalist building and shape how the space is used, significantly enhancing its sensory and ecological quality. Carefully selected, climate-resilient planting - including evergreen shrubs, small trees and seasonal flowering species well suited to the exposed conditions and London’s future weather extremes - will boost biodiversity, manage rainwater, soften acoustics and create a calmer, more inviting environment with year-round interest. 

Access improvements will, for the first time, enable step-free movement throughout. Wide, gently sloping routes formed within the planters will link all areas of the space to the central platform, while integrated seating will provide resting and gathering points. New ramps will connect directly to the Level 3 foyer, and the Conservatory, which will be open to the public every day and fully accessible, from 2030. 

Alongside these changes, the proposals address long-standing issues with the Court’s condition. Failing paving, waterproofing, and drainage cause leaks into the Concert Hall structure below. The proposals will fix and renew these critical elements, while restoring lighting and upgrading power provision, ensuring the space is safe, reliable, and fit for future events and everyday public use.

Philippa Simpson, Director for Buildings and Renewal, said: “From the very beginning, the Barbican Centre was conceived as a site of encounter where art sits at the heart of public life. These proposals return the Sculpture Court to that original intention, creating a generous and dynamic civic space for all our visitors. 

“This consultation is an opportunity for audiences, visitors and local communities to help shape a space that offers so much, while remaining true to the spirit and ambition of the Centre and ensuring people can enjoy it for the next 50 years”.

Over the past four decades, the Sculpture Court has been the location for major art installations, large-scale orchestral performances, outdoor cinema and even sheepdog trials. In May 2026 it will host a landmark commission by Columbian artist Delcy Morelos - her first UK public presentation - exploring our relationship with earth and soil.

As part of the consultation process, the Barbican will host a Youth Day on Saturday 31 January, inviting 16-25-year-olds to the Centre to join architects and creatives for free, hands-on sessions that will inform the future role of the Sculpture Court. 

Subject to consultation feedback, planning consent* and funding, works are expected to take place between summer 2028 and summer 2029, alongside improvements to the Foyers, Lakeside and Conservatory. The project is being designed by architects Allies and Morrison and engineers Buro Happold.

The public consultation runs until 10 February 2026. Find out more and have your say at barbican.org.uk/renewal.