Framed Print > Industry > Engineering and Construction > Building the Commonwealth Institute
Framed Print : Upper gallery JLP01_08_062289
Framed Photos from Historic England
Upper gallery JLP01_08_062289
COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE, KENSINGTON HIGH STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA, GREATER LONDON. An interior view of the upper gallery in the Commonwealth Institute exhibition hall showing the beams of the outer roof sections.
Laing built the Commonwealth Institute between October 1960 and October 1962 to replace the former Imperial Institute that was to be demolished to make way for new facilities at Imperial College. The building consisted of a four-storey administrative block housing a library, restaurant, board room and conference hall and a separate two-storey b lock containing a cinema with an art gallery above, but the focus of the project was the exhibition hall with its hyperbolic paraboloid roof, the first of its kind constructed in Great Britain. The exhibition, designed by James Gardner, provided spaces where each of the Commonwealth nations could showcase their achievements and characteristics, primarily to school children as teaching aids to enliven history and geography lessons.
The shell arch of the central roof section was of reinforced concrete, cast in situ using timber formwork with rough sawn boards to provide a textured internal surface whilst the four outer " warps" were constructed using precast beams and wood wool slabs, blocks of shredded timber bound together in a cement paste and left visible from the interior. The entire roof was then clad in copper sheeting over a layer of vermiculite. It covers an area of 33, 700sqft, 183 feet square with the central section 93 feet square and ranges between 30ft high at its lowest and 80ft at the peaks
Media ID 24320084
© Historic England Archive
1960s Construction Curves Interior Light
12"x10" Modern Frame
10x8 Print in an MDF Wooden Frame with 180 gsm Satin Finish Paper. Glazed using shatter proof thin plexi glass. Frame thickness is 1 inch and depth 0.75 inch. Fluted cardboard backing held with clips. Supplied ready to hang with sawtooth hanger and rubber bumpers. Spot clean with a damp cloth. Packaged foam wrapped in a card.
Contemporary Framed and Mounted Prints - Professionally Made and Ready to Hang
Estimated Image Size (if not cropped) is 25.4cm x 25.4cm (10" x 10")
Estimated Product Size is 30.5cm x 25.4cm (12" x 10")
These are individually made so all sizes are approximate
Artwork printed orientated as per the preview above, with landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical) orientation to match the source image.
MADE IN THE USA
Safe Shipping with 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
FREE PERSONALISATION*
We are proud to offer a range of customisation features including Personalised Captions, Color Filters and Picture Zoom Tools
FREE COLORIZATION SERVICE
You can choose advanced AI Colorization for this picture at no extra charge!
SECURE PAYMENTS
We happily accept a wide range of payment options so you can pay for the things you need in the way that is most convenient for you
* Options may vary by product and licensing agreement. Zoomed Pictures can be adjusted in the Cart.