Skip to main content

Home > Industry > Engineering and Construction > Building the Commonwealth Institute

Upper gallery JLP01_08_062289

Upper gallery JLP01_08_062289


Photo Prints
Poster Prints
Jigsaw Puzzles
Image Downloads
Cards
Mounted Prints
Home Decor
Canvas Prints
Fine Art Prints
Metal Prints


We accept all major credit cards

Wall Art and Photo Gifts 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


MADE IN THE UK
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 Basket.

+

Shipping

+

Choices

+

Guaranteed