Declassified: Secrecy and Surveillance at Barnton Bunker
Interpretation Design proposal for Barnton Bunker, 2025
Interpretation Design proposal for Barnton Bunker, 2025
Barnton Bunker was built to coordinate the UK’s ROTOR radar network across Scotland and later functioned as a Regional Seat of Government to be activated in the event of nuclear disaster. This decommissioned bunker offers a rare glimpse into Scotland’s top secret Cold War defence and the how the youth-led nuclear disarmament movement made history.
The client brief outlined a need to address the complex history of the bunker within its stripped-backed spaces by using multimodal and experiential techniques. My proposal leaned into the secrecy of the Cold War by issuing visitors with RFID-fitted access passes, allowing them to explore the site as it they were RAF personnel with clearance to classified information by unlocking interactive elements throughout the journey.
The client brief outlined a need to address the complex history of the bunker within its stripped-backed spaces by using multimodal and experiential techniques. My proposal leaned into the secrecy of the Cold War by issuing visitors with RFID-fitted access passes, allowing them to explore the site as it they were RAF personnel with clearance to classified information by unlocking interactive elements throughout the journey.
