The Building Centre is a building in central London used to promote innovation in the

built environment The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...

. It is run by the Built Environment Trust, a charitable body.

Formation

The centre was founded in 1931 starting as the building materials bureau of the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

. 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 Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the ...

Locations

The Building Centre operated from New Bond Street until its building was destroyed during

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

on 12 May 1941. As a result, it moved to

Conduit Street Conduit Street is a street in Mayfair, London. It connects Bond Street to Regent Street. History The street was first developed in the early 18th century on the Conduit Mead Estate, which the Corporation of London had owned since the 15th centu ...

and was based there until 1951, when it moved to its present home in

Store Street Store Street ( ga, Sráid an Stórais) is a short street in Dublin, Ireland, running from Amiens Street at right angles to Beresford Place. History The street derived its name from the many store and warehouses that dominated the area due ...

. 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 Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

. When converted to the Building Centre, a

sgraffito ''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...

mural by

Augustus Lunn Henry Augustus Lunn (always known as Augustus Lunn) (16 August 1905 – 1986) was a British artist and art teacher, best known for works with tempera and large mural paintings. Early life Lunn was born in Liverpool in 1905, the son of George Hen ...

was installed in the open-air courtyard and patio, although this has since been hidden or lost.

Notable people

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and ...

, President from 1940 - 1959 *

Sir Basil Spence Sir Basil Urwin Spence, (13 August 1907 – 19 November 1976) was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modern ...

, President from 1960 - 1968 *

Sir Frederick Gibberd Sir Frederick Ernest Gibberd (7 January 1908 – 9 January 1984) was an English architect, town planner and landscape designer. He is particularly known for his work in Harlow, Essex, and for the BISF house, a design for a prefabricated counc ...

, President in 1969 *

Sir Alfred Hurst ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

, Chairman from 1940 - 1962

Organisations at the Building Centre

Organisations located at the building include: the Built Environment Trust, the

Construction Industry Council The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is the representative forum for professional bodies, research organisations and specialist business associations in the United Kingdom construction industry. History The first proposals for a Building Indus ...

, the

Construction Products Association The Construction Products Association (CPA) is a UK construction industry trade association. It represents and champions manufacturers and suppliers of construction products. As well as representing some of the largest construction product manufa ...

, and the

UK Green Building Council The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) is a United Kingdom membership organisation, formed in 2007, which aims to 'radically transform' the way that the built environment in the UK is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated. The c ...

Current services

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

*1933 - Three-bedroom cottages competition *1936 - Inn Signs Exhibition *1936 - Women in Architecture *1940 - Railings for Scrap

References

External links

The Building Centre
- official site 1932 establishments in the United Kingdom Museums in the London Borough of Camden Architecture museums in the United Kingdom {{UK-org-stub