Summary
The Building Centre is a building in central London used to promote innovation in the built environment. It is run by the Built Environment Trust, a charitable body[1] which was formed in 2015 to replace an earlier charity, the Building Centre Trust, established in 1963.[2]
Formation edit
The centre was founded in 1931 starting as the building materials bureau of the Architectural Association.[3] Its first managing director was Frank Yerbury, architectural photographer and secretary of the Architectural Association School, and its first chairman was Maurice Webb. It opened its doors on 7 September 1932 at 158 New Bond Street
Locations edit
The Building Centre operated from New Bond Street until its building was destroyed during The Blitz on 12 May 1941.[4] As a result, it moved to Conduit Street and was based there until 1951, when it moved to its present home in Store Street.[5] The building had been designed by the modernist architects Taperell and Haase as a Daimler motor showroom. It is built of reinforced concrete, faced with Portland stone.[6] When converted to the Building Centre, a sgraffito mural by Augustus Lunn was installed in the open-air courtyard and patio, although this has since been hidden or lost.[6]
Notable people edit
- Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, President from 1940 - 1959
- Sir Basil Spence, President from 1960 - 1968
- Sir Frederick Gibberd, President in 1969
- Sir Alfred Hurst, Chairman from 1940 - 1962
Organisations at the Building Centre edit
Organisations located at the building include: the Built Environment Trust,[1] the Construction Industry Council, the Construction Products Association, and the UK Green Building Council.[7]
Current services edit
Admission to the galleries on the ground floor and lower ground floor is free. There is a cafe open to the public and conference facilities available for hire and are used for a variety of events.
Early key exhibitions edit
- 1933 - Three-bedroom cottages competition
- 1936 - Inn Signs Exhibition
- 1936 - Women in Architecture
- 1940 - Railings for Scrap
References edit
- ^ a b "The Built Environment Trust (Charity number: 1163419)". Charity Commission. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "About the Built Environment Trust". The Building Centre. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Our history". Building Centre - Our history. The Building Centre. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "Railings for Scrap – the Building Centre in the Blitz". The Building Centre. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "About Us". The Building Centre. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Building Centre: Building's concrete secrets revealed, 5 October 2017". Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ "Organisations at the Building Centre". Building Centre. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
External links edit
- The Building Centre - official site
51°31′10″N 0°07′54″W / 51.5195°N 0.1316°W