Architecture at the V&A
Discover the extensive collections of the V&A and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Architecture
Plan a visitAs the home of the national collection of architecture, the V&A holds monumental plastercasts, 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.
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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.
Exploring Architecture
Adelphi ceiling, designed by Robert Adam, about 1771, London. Museum no. W.43:1 to 5-1936. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Wallpaper and tile design for Houses of Parliament, designed by A. W. Pugin, made 1908, London. Museum no. D.741-1908. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Apotheosis of Henry VIII, probably designed and drawn by Robert Pyte, about 1546, London. Museum no. 3337. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Print from 'Diverse maniere d'adornare i cammini…’ depicting a design for an Egyptian chimneypiece by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, published 1769, Rome. Museum no. E.4944-1908. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural drawing for the north or entrance front of Castle Howard by Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor, about 1699, England. Museum no. E.424-1951. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Julie Tile for A House for Essex, designed by Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture, 2015. Museum no. CD.20-2015. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural print, Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur: ochre towers with blue sky, César Pelli, 1998. Museum no. CD.93-2016. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Contract drawings for the Metropolitan Board of Works depicting the Thames Embankment - Middlesex side, Joseph Bazalgette, 1868, Britain. Museum no. 23187. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural model of Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, London, by Alison and Peter Smithson, 1970. Museum no. CD.12-2018. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Sir Paul Pindar's House front, about 1600, London. Museum no. 846 to M-1890. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural model of the Albert Hall, Francis Fowke, made 1864, England. Museum no. A.10-1973. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Learn more about Architecture
A curious trail of architecture at the V&A in 10 objects
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
William Kent: designing Georgian Britain
The leading architect and designer of early Georgian Britain
Modernist architecture: the Bauhaus and beyond
From the 1920s, the teachings of the Bauhaus school inspired a new, experimental architecture
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
Architects and their sketchbooks
Architects sketchbooks provide freedom. They are a personal record of thoughts, observations, problems and memories
Design for a vaulted ceiling by Vincenzo Brenna
Find out about Architect Vincenzo Brenna's elegant hand drawn designs for Emperor Nero's Roman palace
About the Elytra Filament Pavilion
The pavilion explored the impact of emerging robotic technologies on architectural design, engineering and making
Engineers in focus
Computers and the Sydney Opera House
Discover how the groundbreaking use of computers helped realise a feat of structural engineering
Engineering the Penguin Pool at London Zoo
A shelter for penguins, an aquatic sculpture, and an impressive feat of engineering
Inside an ocean liner: the 'Aquitania'
Take a fascinating tour of the Aquitania's interior – from promenade deck to boiler room – with our interactive
