A fabulous win for the Paris-based architects Lina Ghotmeh Architecture....
Running the competition to find a design-led team for the British Museum's Western Range has been a real privilege, and immensely enjoyable. After two full-on years, the competition is finally over and the much deserved winner has been announced.
We are delighted to be able to congratulate Lina Ghotmeh and her team. I know they will have an amazing time collaborating with the wonderful client team - led by Nicholas Cullinan with Alice Fraser and Alex Surguladze. We wish them all a richly rewarding time as they curate a beautiful setting for the Museum's inspirational collection.
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Photo: © Trustees of the British Museum
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British Museum: Lina Ghotmeh Architecture: Image 1
Lina's team, comprising Ali Cherri, Plan A, Purcell, Holmes Studio and Arup, beat four other stellar, international teams led by 6a architects, David Chipperfield Architects, Eric Parry Architects with Jamie Fobert Architects and OMA. Thanks are due to them all for the extraordinary efforts that they put into their competition submissions.
To see their work take a look here.
“My team and I are thrilled to embark on this journey for the renovation of the Western Range of the British Museum. This competition has been an exciting process shaped by dialogue and multiple voices. I am looking forward to continuing this rich and collaborative process as we work towards transforming this section of the museum into an extraordinary space — a place of connections for the world and of the world.
“My gratitude to Dr. Nicholas Cullinan – Director of the British Museum, to George Osborne, Chairman of the British Museum and chairman of the jury as well as all the esteemed members of the jury for their trust in selecting our diverse team. We are honored to contribute to this holistic and publicly engaging transformation that will shape the museum’s future in the years to come.”
— Lina Ghotmeh - LGA
The Press Release reads:
LONDON, 21 February: The British Museum has today announced Lina Ghotmeh Architecture (LGA) has won the competition to redesign its Western Range galleries. A pivotal moment in the Masterplan project to transform the Museum’s historic building, the project will be one of the biggest cultural renovations undertaken anywhere in the world.
Over 60 teams applied to the two stage International Architectural Competition, which ran for nine months. Five shortlisted teams were invited to take part in the second stage, from which LGA emerged as the unanimous favourite.
LGA, which is led by the multi award-winning architect Lina Ghotmeh, was said to have shown a deep understanding and sensitivity towards the Museum, the complexity of collections’ display and artefacts’ interactions with diverse visitor groups. Ghotmeh’s vision especially resonated with the panel because of its ‘archaeological’ approach to architectural design.
Lebanese-born Ghotmeh was said to have likened each new project to an archaeological dig, looking at a building’s past to support the reimagination and ‘story’ of its future, with sustainability at its heart and a close observance to the use of natural materials. The panel felt this sentiment resonated with the Museum’s collection which spans two million years of human history.
Ghotmeh’s practice is no stranger to significant commissions and has an impressive track record of delivering major cultural landmarks. Her work includes the recently completed Hermès Leather Workshop in Louviers, Normandy which opened in 2023 and the Estonian National Museum in Tartu. Ghotmeh has won and been nominated for high-profile awards including the Grand prix AFEX 2016 and the Mies Van der Rohe Award 2017.
“Lina Ghotmeh is an architect of extraordinary grace and gravitas. Her team’s proposals demonstrated an exceptional and materially sensitive architectural vision for the British Museum, and their ‘archaeological’ approach clearly understood the ambition for this project to be as much an intellectual transformation as an architectural one. Lina and her team have a track record for delivering unique and human-centred design with a timeless elegance. I am delighted we will be working together and excited for the years ahead at such a pivotal chapter for the Museum, embarking on a generationally significant project that will transform a third of our gallery space.”
— Dr Nicholas Cullinan - Director of the British Museum
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British Museum: Lina Ghotmeh Architecture: Image 2 -
British Museum: Lina Ghotmeh Architecture: Image 3
“We set out to find the best and I believe we’ve found her. In Lina Ghotmeh we have an architect who combines a deep sensitivity to the history of our great collection while being a voice for the future. We had many outstanding entries – and I thank the other practices for all their hard work – but I can say as chair of the judging panel, she was the standout winner. Her design ideas excited and enthused the trustees; when they become real buildings and galleries we know they will excite and enthuse our millions of visitors. When we moved into our current buildings years ago, 200 years ago the world was wowed. I believe they will be wowed again when this transformation of our great sculpture galleries, and much more, is complete.”
— George Osborne - Chairman of the British Museum and Chair of the competition Jury Panel