view of link bridge

all images © David Chipperfield Architects 

David Chipperfield Architects has officially announced that Royal Academy of Arts’ Redevelopment starts construction. In studio's press release; it was underlined that this project will link Burlington House and Burlington Gardens, opening up elements that make the Royal Academy unique, sharing with the public its historic treasures, the work of its Academicians, and the RA Schools, alongside its world-class exhibitions programme. As well as new public and exhibition spaces, the Royal Academy will also gain a double-height lecture theatre with over 260 seats and enhanced facilities for its education programme. The redevelopment will be completed in time for the Royal Academy’s 250th anniversary in 2018. 

learning center curtains

Founded in 1768, the Royal Academy of Arts is the oldest arts institution in Britain and has a unique position in being led by artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate. The Royal Academy’s art school is the oldest in Britain and is regarded throughout the world as a centre of excellence.

The Royal Academy’s north-facing Entrance, Burlington Gardens, in 2018. image © Hayes Davidson

Since 1868 the Royal Academy has been based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, in central London. The acquisition of 6 Burlington Gardens, originally designed as the Senate House for the University of London in the 1860s, enables the Royal Academy to extend and expand its facilities directly to the north of Burlington House.

view of gallery

In 2008 David Chipperfield Architects were appointed to develop a masterplan for the 2 acre site. The masterplan promotes a development with a light touch, and refurbishment of the two Grade II* listed buildings. This approach draws on the generous existing building structures and ensures that historic building interventions are kept to a minimum and are sympathetic to, and in some cases enhance, the historic fabric.

view from lecture theatre

A central public link will connect Burlington House and 6 Burlington Gardens both physically and in spirit, allowing the Royal Academy to extend its programme into 6 Burlington Gardens and to provide better visitor and back-of-house facilities in Burlington House. The public link will also reveal the “behind the scenes” workings of the institution. The transformation of 6 Burlington Gardens will include: the contemporary reinstatement of a 260-seat auditorium, the restoration of a series of listed rooms to accommodate a third run of galleries, and additional retail and catering facilities. The Royal Academy Schools will be partly reconfigured and extended, improving the facilities available to students and making the Schools a visibly integral part of the institution.

long section show link between functions

The transformation of the current facilities for Friends, Patrons and Royal Academicians in one of the oldest parts of Burlington House has recently been completed and is now open to the public. Further key elements of the Central Link masterplan have received planning and listed building consent.

you can see the structure in full view, the expansion plan for the RA

The incremental implementation of the masterplan in the years leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy in 2018 has the potential to secure the Royal Academy’s role as one of the world’s leading independent centres for visual culture.

the setting of Royal Academy of Arts

Project Facts

Date: 2008-2018
Client: Royal Academy of Arts
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects, London
Associate directors: Nick Hill and Peter Jurschitzka
Conservation architect: Julian Harrap Architects
Structural engineer: Alan Baxter Associates
Services engineer: Arup
Theatre consultant: Anne Minors
Acoustic consultant: Sound Space
Quantity surveyor: Gardiner & Theobald
Project manager: Buro Four
Lighting: Arup
Planning consultant: Gerald Eve

> via davidchipperfield.co.uk