On 6 April at the Ri, champagne glasses and hard hats were passed around as we held a ground-breaking ceremony to commemorate the start of building work. The Ri?s historic building in Albemarle Street has been closed to the public since January, and during that time the collections, books and paintings have been moved to secure locations. With that preliminary work done, we?re now ready for the builders to move in. The ceremony saw our Director, Baroness Greenfield, and the Chair of the Ri Council, Winston Fletcher, use an axe to chop through the floor in the cloakroom, near where the new atrium will be built. Soon the first of the builders will move onto the site, and the latest phase of the Ri?s exciting plan for the future begins!
Sir Terry Farrell, architect and design team leader, speaks about the new design of the Ri.
Ri Director, Baroness Susan Greenfield, and the Chair of the Ri Council, Winston Fletcher, break the groud for the Ri's historic refurbishment.
Ri staff and researchers pose with the design team in the Grand Entrance Hall following the ground-breaking ceremony.