Commonwealth Institute, Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, 30/10/1962. Creator: John Laing plc.

Commonwealth Institute, Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, 30/10/1962. Creator: John Laing plc.

2-879-084 - Historic England Archive/Heritage Images

Commonwealth Institute, Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, 30/10/1962. An interior view of the exhibition hall at the Commonwealth Institute showing the corner where two outer roof sections meet and the exposed concrete beams. 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 block 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.


Image Details


People Information

Creator
  1. John Laing plc, attributed to: British: construction and civil engineering company
People Related
  1. Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall & Partners: British: architects

Medium
  1. Photograph

Geographic Hierarchy

World Europe United Kingdom England Greater London London Kensington and Chelsea Kensington

  1. 51 30 00 N , 000 11 00 W

Category Hierarchy

Trade & Industry Construction Industry

Locations & Buildings Other


Digital Image Size

Pixel Dimensions (W x H) : 5395x4135
File Size : 21,786kb


Aliases

  1. JLP01/08/063970
  1. jlp01_08_063970
  1. 0250010867
  1. 2-879-084
  1. 2879084
  1. JLP01/08/063970


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