Museums: The Latest Architecture and News

Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19th, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States, marking a moment of liberation and reflection on a complex and often overlooked history. Originally celebrated in Texas, Juneteenth has grown to symbolize broader themes of freedom, resilience, and cultural identity, fostering conversations about justice and representation. This day also presents an opportunity to highlight the ways in which architecture can serve as a medium for preserving and presenting African American history and cultural values.

Architecture, beyond its functional and aesthetic qualities, can reflect and collect narratives, values, and hidden histories, giving a tangible and visual presence to communities often underrepresented in cityscapes. Buildings dedicated to African American history and culture become physical landmarks that anchor these stories within the daily life of cities. They serve as places of learning, reflection, and celebration, creating meaningful spaces that engage the public and foster a sense of communal identity.

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Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, Muzej Lah, a new contemporary art museum, is set to open in the summer of 2026 in Bled, Slovenia. Located at the foothills of the Julian Alps, the museum will house the Fundacija Lah art collection, developed over more than three decades by Slovenian philanthropists Igor and Mojca Lah. The collection will be made publicly accessible for the first time with the opening of the institution.

Architectural competitions have long offered a space for experimentation: platforms where ideas can be tested, typologies reimagined, and critical questions addressed through design. Freed from some of the constraints of commercial commissions, competition entries often reflect ambitious visions for how architecture can respond to environmental, cultural, and social challenges. Whether focused on future habitats, public institutions, or small-scale community infrastructure, these proposals give shape to the values and priorities driving architectural thinking today.

This month's Unbuilt selection brings together eight competition-winning projects submitted by the ArchDaily community. Each received first, second, or third place in recent local and international competitions. The featured proposals span a wide range of programs and geographies: a sustainable library in Lima, a Martian habitat exploring closed-loop systems, an adult orphanage designed for empowerment in India, a new French school in Athens, and a placemaking initiative in Singapore rooted in local folklore. While varied in scale and scope, they all highlight architecture's capacity to engage context, foster inclusion, and propose new ways of inhabiting space.

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Founded in 1870, The Metropolitan Museum of Art — affectionately known as The Met — is one of the world's most important and visited museums, housing over two million works that span five millennia of human history. Located in the heart of New York City, alongside Central Park, the museum is celebrated for its vast and diverse collections, ranging from ancient Egyptian art to European masters and contemporary works. Paintings, sculptures, documents, historical artifacts, and multimedia pieces make up an ensemble that demands meticulously planned exhibition solutions to ensure both preservation and the effective communication of their historical and artistic value.

In 2021, The Met launched one of its most ambitious projects: the renovation of The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, dedicated to the Arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas, and Oceania. With a $70 million investment, the initiative encompasses curatorial reorganization, oriented by a more regional and historical approach, as well as architectural interventions. The modernization of the galleries includes enhancements to natural lighting, accessibility improvements, and the incorporation of contemporary museographic systems, designed to optimize conservation and the interpretive experience for visitors.

The V&A East Storehouse will open to the public for the first time on Saturday, 31 May 2025. Located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the project is part of East Bank, a new cultural quarter supported by the Mayor of London. Designed by the internationally recognized architecture firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, the new facility serves as both a working store and a visitor destination. Following a decade of planning and extensive audience consultation, V&A East Storehouse is the first of V&A East's two new cultural destinations to open in East London. The second, V&A East Museum, is scheduled to open in spring 2026 and will explore the role of making and creativity as agents of change.

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Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, construction works for the Asaan Museum have recently begun. Located in the historic At-Turaif district of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the Asaan Museum aims to be a new cultural institution designed to preserve and celebrate the nation's heritage. Deriving its name from the Arabic word meaning "inheritance passed down through generations," Asaan underscores its role in connecting past and present. Situated within a site renowned for its mud-brick architecture and centuries-old urban fabric, the museum draws inspiration from traditional Najdi building techniques. Planned to be constructed using locally sourced clay mud-bricks, Asaan Museum will mark Zaha Hadid Architects' first project to employ adobe construction.

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Fenix is a new museum in Rotterdam's City Harbour, dedicated to the collection of historic and contemporary objects that explore migration through art. It is located on the Katendrecht peninsula on the south bank of the River Maas, in a 100-year-old former warehouse recently renovated by MAD Architects and Bureau Polderman. This marks MAD Architects' first commission for a public cultural building in Europe. Recently completed, the building is set to open this Friday, May 16, showcasing three exhibitions: All Directions, featuring over 150 artworks and objects from the Fenix collections; The Family of Migrants, a photographic exhibition by Edward Steichen; and The Suitcase Labyrinth, an interactive installation made up of 2,000 donated suitcases.

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Zaha Hadid Architects has just revealed that the Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum, located in the Guangming District, has officially opened. Designed as a platform to highlight scientific research and technological innovation, the institution will explore the role of science in shaping the future. Adjacent to Guangming Station on Shenzhen's metro network, the design responds to its location as a solid, spherical volume facing the city, defining the southeast corner of the new Science Park. The museum aims to provide a space for public engagement with current developments in science and technology.

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In recent weeks, a number of architecture firms have unveiled new projects that reflect an ongoing shift toward integrated, environmentally responsive urban planning. From Europe to the Middle East and North America, these proposals balance spatial innovation with long-term sustainability, whether through car-free living, passive performance strategies, or adaptive modular construction. While some projects reimagine infrastructure and public institutions, others explore how urban density can coexist with natural ecosystems. This edition of Architecture Now highlights a selection of recently announced masterplans, cultural buildings, and residential communities that offer new models for ecological and social resilience in the built environment.

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BIG, Bjarke Ingels Group, has been selected to design the new Hungarian Natural History Museum in Debrecen. Located on a former sports ground at the northern edge of the city's Great Forest, Nagyerdő, the 23,000 m² museum is being developed in collaboration with Vikár és Lukács Építés Stúdió, Museum Studio, and TYPSA. The new institution will replace the existing museum in Budapest, supporting the government's vision to establish Debrecen as a regional hub for education and culture by 2030. Commissioned by the Museum and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the new building will house permanent and temporary exhibition halls, educational and research facilities, public amenities, and back-of-house spaces.

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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, United States, has reached a critical moment in its expansion project, revealing six finalist designs that propose new ways to engage visitors, integrate the museum with its surroundings, and create an open and inviting cultural space. The shortlisted teams - Kengo Kuma & Associates, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Selldorf Architects, Studio Gang, Weiss/Manfredi, and WHY Architecture - bring a range of approaches, each responding to the museum's architectural legacy and evolving role within Kansas City.

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In the autumn of 2024, the Kistefos Museum Foundation invited 28 architectural firms to participate in a prequalification process to design a new site-specific standalone gallery. Scheduled to open in 2031, the new museum building will house the art collection of the museum's founder, Christen Sveaas. The gallery will join Kistefos' sculpture park, which features 55 works by international artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Olafur Eliasson, Fernando Botero, and Anish Kapoor, as well as an industrial museum and BIG's award-winning art gallery, The Twist. Additionally, a new visitor center, designed by the Oslo-based architectural firm Lund Hagem, is set to open in 2026.