Architecture at the V&A
Architecture at the V&A
Discover the extensive collections of the V&A
Architecture
As the home of the national collection of architecture, the V&A holds monumental plaster casts, large-scale architectural fragments and entire historic rooms, as well as models, drawings and sketchbooks by major British and international architects from the 15th century to the present day.
Architectural drawings and fragments of buildings were collected by the Museum from its earliest days, but it was only in 2014 that a department responsible for architecture was established. In the Architecture Gallery, co-curated with the Royal Institute of British Architects as part of the V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership, you can explore the history of architecture, styles, materials and building types. Next door, in the Architecture Display Gallery, you can visit changing displays of historic and contemporary drawings chosen from the rich collections of the V&A and the RIBA on a variety of topical themes.
Collection highlights
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Adelphi ceiling, designed by Robert Adam, made by David Adamson, about 1771, England -
Wallpaper and tile design for Houses of Parliament, designed by A. W. Pugin, 1908, London, England -
The Apotheosis of Henry VIII, drawing, probably designed and drawn by Robert Pyte, about 1546, London, England -
Print from 'Diverse maniere d'adornare i cammini…’ depicting a design for an Egyptian chimneypiece by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, published 1769, Rome, Italy -
Architectural drawing for the north or entrance front of Castle Howard, by Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor, about 1699, England -
Julie Tile for A House for Essex, designed by Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture, manufactured by Shaws of Darwen, 2015, UK -
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur: ochre towers with blue sky, architectural print, by César Pelli, printed by Nash Editions, 1998 -
Contract drawings for the Metropolitan Board of Works depicting the Thames Embankment - Middlesex side, print, by Joseph Bazalgette, printed by Waterlow & Sons, 1868, Britain -
Architectural model of Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, London, by Alison and Peter Smithson, commissioned by Jeremy Dixon, 1970 -
Sir Paul Pindar's House, house front, about 1600, London, England -
Model of the Albert Hall, architectural model, by Francis Fowke, made 1864, England
Features
A (fun) beginners' guide to Brutalism
A (fun) beginners' guide to Brutalism
Everything you need to know about Brutalism
A (tropical) guide to Modernism
A (tropical) guide to Modernism
Take a peek a inside some of London's most iconic modernist buildings
La Biennale di Venezia 2023
La Biennale di Venezia 2023
Presenting 'Tropical Modernism', the V&A's Special Project for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023
Building the Museum
Building the Museum
The V&A's buildings are works of art in themselves. Each represents a chapter of the V&A's story and a moment in British design history
La Biennale di Venezia 2021
La Biennale di Venezia 2021
2021's display explored contemporary multiculturalism through three adapted mosque spaces in London
Architects and their sketchbooks
Architects and their sketchbooks
Architects sketchbooks provide freedom. They are a personal record of thoughts, observations, problems and memories
Recreating Palmyra's Arch of Triumph using photogrammetry
Recreating Palmyra's Arch of Triumph using photogrammetry
Skateboarding and the city: a global phenomenon
Skateboarding and the city: a global phenomenon
Drop in on the history of skateboarding
A curious trail of architecture at the V&A in 10 objects
A curious trail of architecture at the V&A in 10 objects
V&A trail: Architectural wonders
V&A trail: Architectural wonders
Discover the story of the V&A's eclectic buildings in this self-guided trail
Robin Hood Gardens
Robin Hood Gardens
Discover the history of Robin Hood Gardens – a defining example of Brutalist architecture and social housing, as a three-storey section is acquired by the V&A
About the Tropical Modernism exhibition
About the Tropical Modernism exhibition
Find out more about 'Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence'
What is Tropical Modernism?
What is Tropical Modernism?
Discover the 'Bauhaus in the Tropics'
Inside mid-century Tropical Modernist architecture
Inside mid-century Tropical Modernist architecture
See inside mid-century buildings in West Africa
The Chandigarh Chair
The Chandigarh Chair
Discover the untold origin story of a design classic
