As part of the second stage of the competition selection process, models and images were submitted for each proposal for the redevelopment of the western area of the museum. This will be the Museum’s largest building project since the 1820s, when work began on the original space.
Each team’s project approach is now on display in the Round Reading Room in the Museum’s Great Court. The aim is to improve storage space for the collections and create new amenities that enhance the visitor experience, making the collection as accessible as possible to all audiences.
“The British Museum has embarked upon the largest redevelopment in its near 300-year history, and the success of such an ambitious project is dependent upon the support of our neighbours and the wider public.
The new exhibition in the spectacular setting of the Round Reading Room provides a fascinating insight into the working processes of some of the most esteemed architecture practices in the world. Each has brought its talent to bear on the hypothetical design challenge set by the British Museum team which looks at both the architectural fabric of the Museum as well as collection displays as part of our selection process for the Western Range project.”
Alex Surguladze, Head of Design Management at the British Museum.
To do so, the 6a architects team envisions the future British Museum looking back at its history, as an ecosystem of objects and collections, people and places, nature and culture, where the original courtyards of the 1838 design introduce biodiversity into the heart of the Museum. In addition, it generates an impressive gallery thanks to the opening of the brick vaults, thus increasing the available exhibition surface.
On the other hand, David Chipperfield Architects envisions the future museum as a creative and productive place where multiple voices, intertwined and contested histories are embraced. Through a series of interconnected strategies, the project is based on creating two new public rooms, giving rise to exchange spaces where all the voices of the museum contribute and participate in its future.
Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects, are betting on a museum of large open spaces, where the vaults of the basement reach up to the galleries above and gain prominence in the main space, creating a new hierarchy of scale. A new volume where the exhibition does not follow a linear path and allows visitors to tell their own stories, get involved and reflect.
Lina Ghotmeh Architecture team proposes to transform the museum into a living space that gives rise to dialogue where historical narratives are intertwined with contemporary perspective. The project invites visitors to participate in universal connections through tactile encounters and immersive narration, seeking to awaken curiosity in the visitor, understanding and cultural exchange.
Meanwhile, OMA's proposal aims to achieve the maximum possible impact with minimal intervention. To do so, it transforms two currently underused courtyards, with the aim of modernizing the functionality and expanding the potential of the entire British Museum as a sophisticated curatorial instrument that covers an arc from antiquity to the digital.
This project is part of the Museum’s long-term masterplan, a major programme of projects that aim to renew and transform the iconic British Museum, ensuring that its extraordinary collection is housed in buildings and galleries fit for the 21st century.
The winner of the competition is expected to be announced in February 2025, with the new buildings expected to be ready by spring 2026.
