Blackstone: Completing a consultation began in the last government

Baroness Blackstone said that the building was being listed because of its special architectural interest, its scale, plan and cohesion.

The complex has a mixture of private apartments and public buildings such as The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, a school for girls, the Arts Centre and a YMCA, all set around a large courtyard.

'Hate'

When it opened as the Barbican Arts Centre in March 1982, the Queen described it as "one of the wonders of the modern world".

But the building was criticised in 1989 by Adrian Noble, now the Royal Shakespeare Company director, who said: "The vast majority of RSC people hate the place profoundly."

The Barbican has been the Royal Shakespeare Company for the last 20 years, but Noble recently announced that it would spend less time at the Barbican, favouring the West End for more of its productions.

The complex was built between 1963 and 1982 at a cost of �153m (the equivalent of �400-�500m today).

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Plans for a �6m facelift were unveiled last October.

The foyer and public spaces are being redesigned to create what managing director John Tusa said would be "the best arts centre in Europe".

Work over the next five years should bring new lighting, highlight the internal features and improve the layout.

The idea is to return the centre to its original state rather than to alter it structurally.

The Grade II listing of post-war buildings was part of an initiative launched by the Government in 1995.