The National Gallery in London has announced six shortlisted teams for the design of a major expansion that will extend the museum into the St. Vincent House site, marking what officials describe as the most significant transformation in its 200-year history. The competition, launched in September 2025, received 65 submissions from international practices. Shortlisted proposals will shape a new wing intended to accommodate the Gallery's growing collection, welcome increasing visitor numbers, and redefine the public realm between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. The teams moving forward include Farshid Moussavi Architecture with Piercy & Company, Foster + Partners, Kengo Kuma and Associates with BDP and MICA, Renzo Piano Building Workshop with William Matthews Associates and Adamson Associates, Selldorf Architects with Purcell, and Studio Seilern Architects with Donald Insall Associates, Vista Building Safety, and Ralph Appelbaum Associates. The selected architect and wider technical design team are expected to be appointed by April 2026.
The expansion forms a central component of Project Domani, an initiative introduced following the institution's bicentenary celebrations and positioned as the largest redevelopment since the Gallery's founding in 1824. The new wing will occupy St. Vincent House, a property acquired nearly three decades ago for future growth and currently functioning as a hotel and office complex. As part of the wider master plan, the project aims to reshape the surrounding public areas and reinforce the Gallery's presence within London's arts quarter.
According to the National Gallery, the new wing will be designed to meet contemporary expectations for sustainability, accessibility, and curatorial flexibility. Museum leadership notes that the development is tied to ambitions to expand and reinterpret the national collection, supporting new exhibition formats, educational programs, research initiatives, and long-term partnerships. Project Domani represents the next major phase in the Gallery's evolution, advancing long-term plans that include rethinking circulation, display strategies, and visitor experience across the campus.
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London Architecture City Guide: 20 Modern and Contemporary Attractions to Explore in UK’s Cultural and Financial PowerhouseThe competition jury is chaired by John Booth, Chair of the National Gallery Board of Trustees, and includes artist Céline Condorelli; National Gallery Director Sir Gabriele Finaldi; Deputy Chair Sir John Kingman; Dame Diane Lees, former Director of the Imperial War Museum; David Marks, Chair of the Masterplan Committee; and architect Lady Patty Hopkins, a RIBA Gold Medal recipient and former Gallery trustee. The selected design team will be tasked with creating a contemporary architectural addition that responds to the institution's historic context while supporting its future expansion.
The announcement follows the recent renovation of the Sainsbury Wing by Selldorf Architects, Purcell, and Vogt, an intervention to the postmodern structure originally designed by Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates. In other related news, cities and cultural institutions continue to reassess the futures of major architectural works: in Dallas, officials are evaluating repair, sale, or demolition options for I.M. Pei's 47-year-old City Hall amid mounting concerns over deferred maintenance, while in Paris, the Fondation Cartier has reopened in its Jean Nouvel–designed building, where a restored Haussmannian shell now accommodates a new movable structure and an inaugural exhibition by Formafantasma.
