Commonwealth Institute

The former Commonwealth Institute building, completed in 1962, may be regarded as a landmark of twentieth-century modernism, with a Grade II listing to match, but it has stood empty since 2002, subject to endless speculation about its future. The building’s limbo status is set to end, however. Due to open as the Design Museum in 2014, the building’s interior spaces will be transformed by architect John Pawson, with the surrounding development overseen by superstar architect Rem Koolhaas. The team will be assisted by Lord Cunliffe, one of the original architects of the Commonwealth Institute, and by James Sutherland, the building’s original structural engineer. As part of Open House London 2011, the former Commonwealth Institute building is open for tours led by Design Museum staff on a first-come, first-served basis on September 17 and 18 10.30am-4.15pm.