Tag: museums | ArchDaily

Studio Campo Baeza and Maoda Win Competition to Design Ecuador's New National Museum in Quito

Reyyan Dogan — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Studio Campo Baeza, based in Madrid, together with Quito-based Maoda, has won the international competition to design the new National Museum of Ecuador (MUNA) in Quito. Their proposal, titled Echoes of the Sun, was selected by a national and international jury from 17 finalist entries in the second phase of the competition. The public competition initially attracted 148 teams from around the world, with 20 shortlisted to develop design proposals before the winning scheme was announced during a public ceremony in Quito on July 6, 2026.

MVRDV and Balance Architettura to Renovate Turin's Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:30:00 +0000

MVRDV and Balance Architettura have unveiled their proposal for the renovation of the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (GAM) in Turin, Italy, following their selection through a public competition in December 2025. The project seeks to restore the spatial qualities of the museum's 1959 building while introducing new exhibition strategies, publicly accessible storage, and flexible display systems designed to accommodate evolving curatorial needs. Conceived as both an architectural restoration and an institutional transformation, the proposal aims to reconnect the museum with the surrounding city while adapting it to contemporary approaches to exhibition-making and public engagement. The project is supported by Fondazione Torino Musei and funded by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, and the construction is expected to begin during the second half of 2027.

BIG Reveals New Images of the National Juneteenth Museum Ahead of Construction in Fort Worth, Texas

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled new images of the National Juneteenth Museum, offering a closer look at the design of the 72,000-square-foot institution planned for Fort Worth, Texas. Designed in collaboration with Alligood Song Architecture and architect of record KAI Enterprises, the project is scheduled to begin construction in fall 2026 and will serve as a national center dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of Juneteenth. Led by activist Dr. Opal Lee, widely recognized as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," the museum combines exhibition spaces with community-oriented programs intended to support both cultural preservation and neighborhood revitalization.

The London Museum Moves to Smithfield's Restored General Market Ahead of Long-Awaited Opening

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The original Museum of London building at London Wall permanently closed to the public in December 2022 to prepare for its relocation. Despite community claims to preserve the modernist building, demolition plans for the brutalist landmark were approved in 2024 to make way for the London Wall West redevelopment project. The Museum of London was then officially rebranded as the London Museum and relocated to the historic General Market in Smithfield. The decade-long restoration project of the new location was carried out by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, alongside conservation architect Julian Harrap. The official opening of the Museum's new permanent galleries is scheduled for November 28, 2026.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Completes ARoS Expansion with James Turrell's As Seen Below – The Dome

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Denmark's ARoS Aarhus Art Museum has unveiled As Seen Below – The Dome, a new Skyspace by American artist James Turrell that completes The Next Level, the museum's approximately 4,000-square-metre underground expansion designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen. Opened to the public on 19 June 2026, the project marks the culmination of more than two decades of collaboration between the City of Aarhus, ARoS, and the Danish architecture practice, following the completion of the museum building in 2004 and the addition of Olafur Eliasson's Your Rainbow Panorama in 2011. Located beneath the redesigned Musikhusparken in central Aarhus, the installation forms the centerpiece of the museum's latest expansion and adds a new large-scale work by Turrell to its collection.

Fondation Beyeler to Open Expanded Campus by Peter Zumthor in 2027

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

The Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, near Basel, will begin opening its expanded campus to the public this autumn, with the full ensemble set to be accessible in January 2027. The project brings together the museum building designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and opened in 1997 with a series of new additions by Peter Zumthor, as well as several repurposed historic structures. Through the expansion, the institution increases its exhibition capacity while extending its grounds to include a larger public landscape. The development represents a new phase for the Fondation Beyeler, building on its focus on the relationship between art, architecture, and nature.

Buildner Announces Museum of Emotions Edition 7 Winners as Edition 8 Registration Deadline Approaches

Rene Submissions — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Buildner has announced the results of its Museum of Emotions Competition Edition 7. The Museum of Emotions is an annual international design competition that tasks participants to explore the extent to which architecture can be used as a tool to evoke emotion.

Safdie Architects Completes Expansion of Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, will open a major 114,000-square-foot expansion to the public on June 6–7, 2026. Designed by Safdie Architects, with landscape architecture by Coen+Partners, the project extends the museum's original architecture while introducing new galleries, educational facilities, public gathering spaces, and landscape connections across the institution's 134-acre campus. The addition represents the completion of a long-term development strategy for the museum, enhancing both its exhibition capacity and its engagement with the surrounding Ozark landscape.

MAC Panamá Selects Palma + Taller TO to Design Its New Museum Building

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 26 May 2026 05:30:00 +0000

Following an international design competition launched in January 2026, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama (MAC Panamá) announced the selection of Mexican architects Palma + Taller TO to design its new building. The museum is described as "a new cultural infrastructure open to the city, conceived from the identity, climate, and landscape of Panama." The future museum headquarters will be located in the corregimiento of San Francisco, to consolidate the area as a hub of cultural activity. The selection criteria involved the relationship between the museum and the city, prioritizing proposals with integrated elements for community engagement and framing the building as a cultural infrastructure, enriching the contemporary urban environment of Panama City.

Selldorf Architects, STUDIOS Architecture, and BASE Paysagiste Selected to Renovate the Louvre Museum

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 19 May 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The French Minister of Culture announced on Monday, May 18, 2026, the winner of the "Louvre–Nouvelle Renaissance" competition. The team selected to transform the world-renowned Musée du Louvre is led by STUDIOS Architecture, New York-based Selldorf Architects, and landscape architecture firm BASE Paysagiste. The renovation initiative was announced in January 2025 as a major intervention for the historic complex following concerns expressed by the museum's director regarding its deteriorating condition. The first round of the competition took place in June, with a shortlist of five teams revealed in October. According to French authorities, the project has a dual objective: to repair and transform the building to preserve its collections while updating it to meet contemporary public expectations, including sustainability requirements that will pose significant challenges for the museum in the coming decades.

Casanova+Hernandez Architects Advances Renovation of Albania’s National Historical Museum

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 11 May 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The initial phase of the complete renovation project for the National Historical Museum in Tirana is approaching completion. The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Culture, and Innovation of Albania and UNOPS, and financed by the European Commission through the EU for Culture (EU4C) program in Albania. The full restoration of the museum's 21,400 square meters is planned in two phases, led by Rotterdam-based Casanova + Hernandez Architects in collaboration with local partner iRI. The first phase consists of restoring the existing building in Skanderbeg Square and is expected to be completed this year, enabling the immediate start of the second phase, focused on implementing the new design for all interior spaces, the courtyard, and the roof.

Kengo Kuma & Associates and Field Operations to Renovate Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 08 May 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, located near Philadelphia, is dedicated to promoting the natural and cultural connections between the region's landscape, historic sites, and artists. The Conservancy protects land and waterways throughout the Brandywine Valley and other priority conservation areas, while the Museum houses a collection of American art, with particular strengths in landscape and still life painting, portraiture, and illustration. On May 6, 2026, the institution announced a project to transform its 15-acre campus, including the renovation of the historic museum building, a new museum building by Kengo Kuma & Associates, and conservation and landscape interventions by Field Operations that will create a publicly accessible 325-acre reserve with ten miles of trails.

OMA / Shohei Shigematsu Completes First Public Project in Japan at Newly Renovated Edo-Tokyo Museum

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 07 May 2026 06:30:00 +0000

The Edo-Tokyo Museum has reopened to the public following a multi-year renovation, unveiling a series of scenographic interventions and installations designed by OMA under the direction of Shohei Shigematsu. Marking the firm's first public project in Japan, the commission forms part of the broader renewal of the museum's iconic building by Metabolist architect Kiyonori Kikutake. Originally opened in 1993 as the first museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo, the institution traces the city's evolution from the Edo period to the present day, and the new interventions aim to strengthen its relationship with contemporary audiences while preserving the identity of Kikutake's architecture.

Cobe to Transform Former IKEA Warehouse into a New Site for the Museum of Furniture Studies in Älmhult, Sweden

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 05 May 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The Museum of Furniture Studies was founded in 2017 in Stockholm, showcasing a collection of more than 1,300 furniture pieces by over 44 international designers. The museum's physical location closed in 2022, maintaining its visibility through its Digital Archive for Design Furniture until it was acquired by IKEA in 2024. This week, Danish architecture studio Cobe announced the transformation of a former IKEA warehouse in Älmhult, Sweden, into a new home for the museum. The project involves converting a closed storage facility into an open and accessible space for design while preserving its industrial structure. The building is scheduled to open in early February 2027.

The Bass Museum of Art Commissions Johnston Marklee for Campus Expansion in Collins Park, Miami Beach

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:30:00 +0000

The Bass Museum of Art has appointed the Los Angeles-based architecture practice Johnston Marklee to lead the expansion of its campus in Collins Park, Miami Beach, advancing a long-term vision that integrates architecture, landscape, and contemporary art. Founded in 1964 following the donation of the John and Johanna Bass collection, the museum is housed within a 1930s Art Deco building originally designed by Russell Pancoast as the Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center. Over time, the institution has evolved through architectural interventions, most notably the campus framework introduced by Arata Isozaki, which establishes a dialogue between the historic fabric and contemporary additions.

Peter Zumthor’s LACMA David Geffen Galleries Open in Los Angeles

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

On Sunday, April 19, 2026, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) opened its new David Geffen Galleries to the public. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the building offers an elevated exhibition space for the museum's permanent collection. All artworks are presented in a single-level open space, in a non-hierarchical layout of cultures, traditions, and eras, spanning 6,000 years of art history across approximately 155,000 objects. The space is flexible, accommodating diverse curatorial projects as well as visitors' individual paths. The project marks a new step in the institution's two-decade transformation into a global art museum and the most comprehensive in the western United States.

V&A East Museum by O’Donnell + Tuomey to Open in East London’s Cultural Quarter

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

V&A East Museum, designed by architects O'Donnell + Tuomey, will open to the public on 18 April 2026. Assigned to the firm in 2015, the new building is located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, near its recently opened sister facility, the V&A East Storehouse, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Located in East London, the UK's newest cultural quarter supported by the Mayor of London, the two-building complex aims to "spotlight the many ways global artists, designers, and makers use creativity to shape the world." Dedicated to creative opportunity and its power to bring change, the museum's five public levels contain two permanent galleries, a 900 sqm temporary exhibition gallery, a top-floor project and event space, learning facilities, and a café.

14 Major Museum Projects Currently in Progress Around the World

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Throughout 2025 and early 2026, numerous museum projects were announced, advanced, or broke ground across multiple regions, with completion timelines largely extending from 2026 to 2030. Located across Asia, Europe, North America, and Central Asia, these developments reflect ongoing shifts in the role of cultural institutions within contemporary cities. Increasingly, museums are conceived not only as exhibition venues but as public-facing environments that accommodate education, research, and civic engagement. This expanded programmatic scope is often accompanied by architectural strategies that respond to urban conditions, spatial continuity, and the integration of cultural infrastructure into broader city-making processes.