Since 1868, the Royal Academy of Arts has been located in Burlington House Palace on Piccadilly Street - in the very center of London. In 1998, the institution acquired a building at 6 Burlington Gardens: this rebuilt house from the 1860s was originally the Senate Building of the University of London. The purchase resulted in a complex of two back-to-back buildings facing parallel adjacent streets. It was logical to create a route that runs through the quarter, uniting two heritage sites (both have the status of a “second degree with an asterisk” monument - Grade II *).
As part of a masterplan for the Academy's 250th anniversary celebrated this year, the architects have proposed a series of measures to create a “physical and ideological” connection between buildings that range from renovation and restoration to new construction.
The new route is laid along the central axis of both buildings, between their main entrances. At Burlington House, he walks down a brick-vaulted corridor that previously served as a storeroom and now houses an exhibit from the AH collection. Then - over a new concrete bridge, which includes an elevator and stairs, leveling the difference in height from Burlington Gardens, 6. The bridge overlooks the new sculpture garden created for the Academy School.
At 6 Burlington Gardens, a lecture hall has reappeared in its original location; its "amphitheater" with 250 seats is reminiscent of ancient specimens or an old anatomical theater. The lecture hall bears the name of one of the founders of the Academy of Arts - the painter Benjamin West. The row of skylights illuminating it has been restored, while the historical room of the British Academy that was located on this site has been completely transferred to a special new building. The former Senate room after restoration became a cafe, and one of the meeting rooms of the council was turned into an architectural gallery. The laboratories are now a suite of showrooms with natural light.
Burlington House was much less affected by the renovation, with improvements to ticket offices, toilets and wardrobes, and the transportation of art.
