Barbican Conservatory

The Barbican Conservatory exists for a very specific, practical reason hidden behind its lush glass walls. When the Barbican Centre was built, the massive fly tower of the theatre created a stark, dominant concrete structure that threatened to overwhelm the design. Architects realized this tower needed to be concealed, so they built this vast greenhouse around it to soften the brutalist skyline. Today, you are walking into what was once intended as a clever piece of architectural camouflage that evolved into a giant, climate-controlled sanctuary.