V&A Museum - Arts Education Centre
Location: London
Building Type: Cultural
Status: Completed 2008
Credit: Softroom
The V&A Museum new centre for arts education expands and future-proofs the museum’s learning facilities. With learning central to the V&A’s mission, the project aimed to create a welcoming, innovative hub that could engage a broad range of audiences. The programme included practical art studios, a digital media lab, workshops for artists in residence, a flexible lunchroom/activity space, a seminar room and a 140-seat auditorium—more than doubling the museum’s dedicated education space.
Working closely with the V&A’s Learning and Interpretation team, a design was developed that responded to the historic building while improving connections to the wider museum. Significant reorganisation was required to overcome the constraints of the existing structure, including the creation of a new stairwell that links the centre’s two floors and provides fully accessible routes throughout.
