New Concrete Reality Architecture Tours at The National Theatre

THE NATIONAL THEATRE LAUNCHES NEW CONCRETE REALITY ARCHITECTURE TOURS, AS THE ICONIC BUILDING CELEBRATES ITS FORTIETH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This Autumn, the National Theatre is launching an exciting new experience for design and culture enthusiasts alike – the Concrete Reality Architecture Tours.

Launching at the end of October to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the official opening of the building by The Queen on 25th October 1976 the new tours will truly bring the history and detail of the iconic Thames-side destination to life, and is perfect for anyone with an interest in design, London history, 20th Century architecture and Brutalist buildings.

Designed by Sir Denys Lasdun, who won the prestigious RIBA Gold Medal in 1977, the NT site spans five acres, and seats 2,450 over three auditoriums, presiding over its South Bank location and continues to fascinate the design world.

Lasdun’s design has divided opinion ever since. It often appears in the ‘most loathed’ lists and ‘most liked’ of London buildings and in 2001 a Radio Times poll featured the National Theatre in the top five of both the most hated and the most loved British buildings.

Lasdun is now regarded as one of the most important post-war British architects and the NT is arguably his masterpiece: strong lines, monumental, the strata of the terraces that cascade down to the river and, of course - concrete.

The venue has recently undergone a transformation, a project known as ‘NT Future’ under architects Haworth Tompkins, and the new tour experience has been devised with Patrick Dillon, lead architect on the project.

Over 90 minutes, guests will be guided through the rich history of the building from its initial conception, 100 years before it could finally be built, through to the recent RIBA-awarded ‘NT Future’ scheme. From its struggle for existence to its recognition as The Stage Building of the Year 2015, and discovering how the NT’s distinctive ‘board marked’ surfaces were created, visitors will be immersed in each stage of the concrete icon’s journey and coming of age.

Tours last 90 minutes and cost £12.50pp. To book, and for a full list of dates and timings, please visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/architecture-tours/whats-on. Tours complement the exhibition Concrete Reality: Denys Lasdun and the National Theatre on permanent display in the Wolfson Gallery, and Patrick Dillon’s book to accompany the exhibition is on sale at the NT Bookshop.

Come and see for yourself as this key work of British Modernism is renewed anew.