The National Gallery East Wing
The National Gallery - East Wing
Our work on the refurbishment of the East Wing of the National Gallery was the first stage in the implementation of a masterplan that would go on to transform facilities and circulation at one of the UK’s most visited tourist attractions.
As a Grade I listed building with a complex history, there were considerable historic building implications, as well as engineering challenges.
Following the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square in the early 2000s, the Gallery began a masterplan to convert the vacated office space on the ground floor into public space. The first phase was the £21m East Wing project, led by architects Dixon Jones. This provided a new ground level entrance from Trafalgar Square and the introduction of adjacent lobbies and the triple-height Annenberg Court, defined by its grand stair and skylight.
Our Conservation Strategy guided this development, and the detailed understanding we developed of the history and evolution of the structure enabled our engineers to design bold structural solutions to create generous new spaces.
The greatest of these challenges was the removal of walls supporting the main cupola above the entrance portico in order to enlarge the entrance vestibule. The project went on to win a RIBA award for conservation.
Client: National Gallery
Architect: Dixon Jones