British Academy

In expanding its presence in Central London, the British Academy aims to innovatively reshape how it engages with researchers, thought leaders and the public, by developing a spatially and technologically sophisticated network to promote discourse in the humanities and social sciences. 

Its Grade I listed building plays a critical role in this mission.  Originally designed by John Nash, the Carlton House Terrace will be remodeled and optimised by Wright & Wright, thereby transcending its origins as a set of grand dwellings into an incubator of ideas and a crucible of public engagement.

Drawing on the building’s history, the visual richness of the original architecture informs the language of the rejuvenated spaces to generate an evocative synthesis of new and old, underscored by an environmentally conscious design approach that will equip the building for the challenges of the future.  The new British Academy will serve as a distinguished and delightful new forum for intellectual interaction in the heart of London.

Central to the project is the design of a new auditorium at the heart of the Academy and three flexible event spaces to host discussion and debate.  The Academy’s interior is indisputably magnificent and over time, changes to the fabric have always been carried out in an original and dynamic way.

The ambition for these new works is to transform under-used spaces on the lower floors, improve visitor flow and accessibility, and activate the building as an armature for exchange, capable of sustaining a range of in-person, digital and hybrid activities, thereby enabling the Academy to reach an ever-wider, international audience.

Designed and realised during Covid, the two upper floors of the British Academy were fully refurbished and modernised. The design took opportunities to open-up dark corridors to the light, long views to the Mall, introduce more meeting and informal spaces for exchange of ideas and hybrid working.