If you've been to London's Barbican Complex most will probably think of the Barbican Arts Centre, the three residential tower blocks or the water features and fountains inside the estate. But it wasn't until we went on the Barbican Centre's Architecture Tour, that we discovered that the Barbican Estate encompasses the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA.

The 90 minute guided tour takes place 5 times a week from wednesdays to sunday, every week for the rest of the year and attracts a mixed crowd of architecture students, locals, tourists and everyone in between. As you walk the external pathways through the Barbican Complex ending inside the Barbican Arts Centre, you'll learn the real history behind the site and structural/design problems faced by it's architects, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. Design wise, you'll learn the similarities between the trellises of the church and external features on the housing estate.

We'll let the photos do the talking for now, and if you want to see these views in real life, we suggest you book a ticket for the tour pronto, no rush though, as the tours are available till December 2012.

Film photography by Joseph Piper

Louisa Lau
20:12 - 01/05/12

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