The Museum of London has announced the six architecture teams that are shortlisted to design a new museum in West Smithfield. The international competition was organized by Malcolm Reading Consultants and has a budget of £130-150 million. The museum will help preserve and regenerate a historic part of London, relaunch the recently popular museum, and protect a series of heritage buildings.
Almost 80 international teams submitted proposals for the first round of the competition, with the shortlisted teams being selected by a jury for criteria that included relevant skills and experience on cultural projects.
The short listed teams, in alphabetical order are:
- BIG (Bjarke Ingles Group) with Hawkins/Brown, Donald Insall and Gehl Architects
- Caruso St. John Architects with Alan Baxter Associates
- Diener & Diener Architekten with Sergison Bates Architects, East Architecture and Graphic Thought Facility
- Lacaton & Vassal Architectes with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio
- Stanton Williams with Asif Khan, Julian Harrap, J&L Gibbons and Plan A
- studio Milou architecture with RL& Associés, Axis Architects and Alan Baxter Associates
Lucy Musgrave, Director of Publica, and competition juror, said, “The site for the new museum is complex and intricate. The shortlist represents an intriguing range of talent, some fresh and inspired collaborations, and reflects the international significance of this competition. Each of the finalists in different ways has created great cultural places in cities around the world, and we’re confident they will do the same for London.”
The shortlisted teams will now produce conceptual designs, which will be exhibited at the Museum of London this summer. A winner will be selected shortly after.
The Museum of London aims to bring the history of London to West Smithfield and will display the largest archaeological archive in the world. The new museum is planned to open to the public by 2021.
News via Museum of London West Smithfield International Design Competition
