Abandoned section of British Brutalist icon needs renovation. It's been closed for years.

This will transform the complex, which Londoners, who dislike it, call "concrete hell," into a more welcoming and functional place for those who live and visit it. The entire project is expected to cost around £230 million.

A joint statement from the Barbican Centre and CLC states that two abandoned exhibition halls, currently closed and unused, would also be renovated. The halls, which once hosted various trade fairs and exhibitions, were closed in 2010. The noise generated by the events held there disturbed residents of the estate.

The abandoned spaces, spread over two levels and located between the new London Museum building, Smithfield Market, and the rest of the Barbican Centre, cover 9,500 square meters—the same area as 36 tennis courts.

According to the management of the Barbican Centre and CLC, the halls have significant potential to be revitalized. Both institutions have invited interested parties to submit proposals for the revitalization and future development of these vast spaces.

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The Management Board is keen to assess interest in the project and its technical capabilities, as well as the potential for establishing cooperation with various entities – both public organisations and private enterprises.

The regeneration of the Barbican Centre: a brutalist symbol of London

The Barbican Centre complex was built in the 1960s and 1970s. It comprises four residential towers, as well as lower-rise buildings, housing approximately 2,000 apartments and flats. The brutalist complex was built on land that had been damaged by German bombing raids on London during World War II. After 1945, a debate began regarding the future development of the devastated site, which dates back to Roman times. This part of the city was home to ancient defensive structures, from which the site derives its name.