The Barbican closes its doors for a year for a multi-million pound refurbishment Barbican

The Barbican Hotel will close its doors for 12 months from June 2028 as it undergoes a multi-million pound refurbishment which its leaders say will secure its future.

Arts organization Beech Street’s cinemas will remain open, but the theatre, music venue, conservatory and visual arts galleries are set to close as an overhaul of the 43-year-old building begins in the run-up to its 50th anniversary in 2032.

The main Barbican site will close its doors in June 2028 and reopen in June 2029, but there will be some disruption before then as the lobby, lagoon area and internal control room will be refurbished.

The conservatory, which is only open for a few hours on weekends and currently has a net to prevent falling glass, will close early, in 2027.

Philippa Simpson, buildings and regeneration director at the Barbican, said the work could not be completed while the site was open to the public because it would be too dangerous, but it was essential to securing the site’s future.

“If we want it for another 50 years, you should take the stucco out and do it now and let it grow for another 50 years and not just limp,” Simpson said.

During the renovation process, it will be necessary to shut down the building’s ventilation system, making it unsafe, while major functions – such as replacing electrical systems and safe asbestos removal – will require shutting down. The work will also reduce the Barbican’s carbon use by 40%, according to Simpson.

This is only the second time in its history that it has been closed for an extended period, the other time being during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This meant that the London Symphony Orchestra, which had called the Barbican home since its opening, would have to perform elsewhere, as would the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Dame Catherine McDowell, the orchestra’s managing director, said the LSO was committed to delivering the 2028-29 season “across London and the UK” and confirmed that the LSO’s St Luke’s venue would remain open throughout the Barbican’s closure.

The Barbican also plans to continue its presence in the capital, with events held outside its London base. “When we talk about closure, there is a physical aspect to it, but in reality, we are still existentially there,“Simpson said.

It is not clear what will happen to the Barbican’s 400 staff, who were informed of the closure on Thursday evening.

The organization did not rule out laying off employees, saying that all options were being considered. Loans to the Barbican’s founder and main financier, the City of London Corporation, were another potential option.

“Obviously we are already talking to the unions and will be working very closely with them. This will be done in consultation as transparently and carefully as possible and making sure that it actually gets done rather than rushed,” Simpson said.

GMB chief organiser, Lisa Bangs, said the union welcomed the “much-needed revamp” but would push to keep casual and permanent staff in their jobs.

She said: “We want to ensure staff are maintained and protected during these works and will always strongly advocate for our members. The Barbican has been in contact and we look forward to working constructively with them as plans develop.”

The Barbican Hotel has just announced a new chief executive, Abigail Pogson, who will oversee the capital project, the first major refurbishment in its history. She is the latest arrival to an organization that has seen several leadership changes over the past five years.

In 2021, Sir Nicholas Kenyon resigned as managing director after staff told The Guardian that the Barbican Hotel was “institutionally racist”. He was followed by former BBC arts correspondent Will Gompertz, who left to join Sir John Soane’s Museum after only two years in the role.

Devyani Saltzman begins as director of arts and engagement in 2024, one of seven senior leaders appointed after the Barbican replaced the managing director model. They all report to Pogson, who will start in January 2026.

The Barbican Hotel first revealed plans for the refurbishment works in May this year. According to the plan, the Grade II-listed cultural destination has “deteriorated significantly” over the years and needs major work to improve it.

The first phase of the project will cost £231 million and will be led by Simpson, who has done similar work for the Young V&A in east London, which won Museum of the Year in 2024. The total bill is estimated at £451 million.

Opened in 1982, the Barbican Arts Center is a unique cultural institution. The center’s cultural offering was originally designed primarily for 4,000 residents in apartments built around the site.

Today, more than 1.5 million people visit it annually, making it one of the most popular cultural attractions in the UK.