The Barbican Centre and other complicated buildings you get lost in

[Whiskeyinthejar]

Does anyone else find the Barbican Centre absolutely infuriating? I can't remember the last time I was walking round and round in circles so much! I swear these unnecessarily complicated brutalist hellholes were built deliberately to get people lost.

Ikea the one near the m5 m6 interchange in Birmingham. Circles of hell.

Two of the buildings in my uni are an absolute maze, and they're mirror images of each other. Designed by an architect most famous for his prisons, ironically.

Do they still have the lines painted on the ground? I get lost in most places.

Central St Martins in Kings Cross is a nightmare.

Charles de Gaulle airport. That place bends space-time in ways it really shouldn't.

Can't understand how people get lost in ikea, it's a one way system with arrows on the ground and maps along the way, just follow the path!

Primark. Any branch of Primark. Once you're in you can't get out, it's terrifying. I don't go in there since it took me 15 mins to find my way out the last time.

I must love complicated buildings, because I adore the Barbican, and that's my closest IKEA that I love visiting!

We went to the Barbican on Saturday - very confusing but we managed to get out.
I agree with IKEA, Primark and any of the old fashioned department stores that have up escalators only - I can never find my way down easily (channelling Father Ted).

Harrods and Oxford Street Selfridges. Both places I assumed I was going to die in there.

Ha ! I worked near the Barbican complex years ago and walked through it to get to the gym, and have been to the Barbican Centre countless times, so when we were there last time I confidently asserted ‘follow me !’ That didn’t go well.

I used to work in the Barbican and I still sometimes got lost in it.

Haha, I think even people with a great sense of direction still get lost in Harrods. It's practically the rules

I work by the barbican.... quite like getting lost in it to be honest.... especially near the Gin place....

Bank / Monument station(s). Particularly when there’s building work going on.

The underground shopping centre in Canary Wharf.

In fact, all of Canary Wharf. Fucking hate that place.

@DrPeppersPhD do those buildings have the initials E and R?

I used to dread having seminars in those buildings for fear of getting lost and being late, or never finding my way out again!

I have no problem in the Ikea mentioned above M6 j9 (I probably spend too much time in there so know it well) but I always get lost in my local Wetherspoons. It’s an old large house and, aside from the main bar area, is made up of small individual rooms which you walk through and without fail I lose my bearings in there.

Oh another one. Jenners Edinburgh. Wtf moments had there, many.

I love the Barbican. Did one of their tours and haven gotten lost since. It's very logical once you understand a bit about how the buildings fit together, I swear.

I was always fine in Canary Wharf, although the last time I went there with DS I declined to look for a sushi restaurant that he had been to with DH, DS said it was 'near some water', so basically anywhere in CW.

I used to walk through the Barbican to my office. I had a route that worked but I was sure that there was a faster way, so one morning I tried something different. I somehow managed to get myself into a completely unpopulated area and couldn't find a way out. I was convince that they would find my frozen body a week later.

My friend has lived on the Barbican estate for years and he still gets lost in the centre.

The Louvre. Couldn’t find my way out - kept walking past marble statues which all looked the same.

We very nearly missed a concert at the Barbican because we got lost. I loathe that building though I do like the auditorium once one finds it.

@FlibbertyGiblets yes! Jenner’s has so many strange half floors. I almost gave up trying to find the men’s shoes.

I also used to work in the Barbican and would very rarely deviate from my "route" to my office/fave lunching spot...else I'd get lost!