Circular Skylight Rotunda at National Museums Liverpool

9 October 2019

The rotunda ceiling at National Museums Liverpool pulls the eye upward through concentric rings of white plaster and steel-framed glass, the overcast sky diffusing flat, even light into the atrium below. Circular geometry this clean tends to flatten a space — here it does the opposite, adding depth the floor plan doesn't suggest. The 'SHOP' sign and the small print of 'Every purchase supports National Museums Liverpool' anchor the abstract geometry to its institutional function, a reminder that the building is still working even when you're looking straight up at it.