BFI Southbank design

Hello all

Does anyone know who the architect behind the BFI Southbank building was? I am researching onthis building and would be grateful for your help.

Errm... from the BFI website, 'Designed by award winning architect David Adjaye.'

Good luck with the research.

David Adjaye designed the Mediatheque room which opened as part of last year's revamp, not the whole building.

The complex as a whole has bits which date from various different times, including elements from the 80s when the Museum of the Moving Image opened.

Yep - fair point. I had in mind Toni was referring to this.

So that would put these guys in the frame -

South Bank Arts Centre; Architects: H. Bennett, Greater London Council chief architect.

Pevsner says National Film Theatre ... 1956-8 by the LCC Architect's Department (Leslie Martin, completed under Hubert Bennett, job architect N. Engleback).

I don't know who did the MOMI extension/alterations to the NFT in the 80s or who did the overall design work on the most recent BFI Southbank makeover.

Lang Rabbie is usually good at this sort of thing.

Ah, good to see it's not only my problem working it out,

From The Independent:
'...nestled under the asthma- inducing Waterloo Bridge, on the site of a former car park, the NFT isn't feted for its architecture: its press office couldn't name the original architect or the cost of the building, which was extended to two auditoriums in 1970. The more elegant Museum of the Moving Image, designed by Brian Avery and tacked onto the NFT in 1988 to provide an additional cinema, cost pounds 12m.'

Good job I Googled first, as I'd been about to post that any fule nos that Path Design did the revamp - but in fact they only did the Benugo interior!

Article with full credits for the refurbishment (originally from Design Week):

A sequel better than the original

This suggests the refurbishmen work was co-ordinated by Buchanan Associates, who appear to be better known for revamping tired hotel interiors.

Thanks for the responses guys! I've been frantically searching the web and apparently David Chipperfield designed the building in question. Unfortunately here is nothing in the way of drawings, pics (or even written text) on his website about this project! James Hatts, you're right about David Adjaye and the Mediatheque. I'm actually in Glasgow and without having visited the complex it's hard to get a picture of where the building sits. Thanks once again

The Chipperfield design was for a new BFI Film Centre next to Jubilee Gardens and was never built.

The current BFI Southbank is situated underneath the southern approach of Waterloo Bridge.

I'm intrigued why there is so little web presence for it, no one seems to want to take credit for building it.

Denys Lasdun seems happy with his work next door.