The Great Court at the British Museum

The Great Court at the British Museum

The largest covered public square in Europe, the British Museum’s Great Court was originally intended to be a garden. However with the creation of the reading room in 1852, the courtyard became the museum’s library and it wasn’t until it’s move in 1997 that the courtyard was opened again.

The Great Court at the British Museum

A competition was launched to find a new way to open the space to the public, eventually won by Norman Foster who took inspiration from the Reichstag’s domed roof in Berlin.

The Great Court at the British Museum

It is made of 3,312 uniquely sculpted panes of glass which were designed on computer and covers two acres. It increased the museums public space by 40%.

The Great Court at the British Museum