We are privileged to have been asked to help the British Museum find a visionary, architect-led design team to reimagine the Western Range at its Bloomsbury site in central London....
Addressing circa 15,000 sqm of space, this will be the most significant public facing building project that the Museum has undertaken in over two centuries, and the ambition is substantial:
To reimagine a third of the existing gallery space and significant back-of-house areas, within an architectural envelope that transforms the visitor experience, juxtaposing the sensitive restoration of existing buildings with new interventions, to create vistas that intrigue, connections that flow, and gallery spaces that are fit for the future.
The challenge is to create an exemplary environment in which the Museum's astonishing collection can be presented to the world, for the 21st century and beyond.
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Aerial shot of the British Museum looking North, with the main entrance in the foreground. © The Trustees of the British Museum
Open, international competition
We have been asked to design and run an international competition to identify the most appropriate architect-led design team for this project.
For the winning team, this will be a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to work with the Museum to transform its iconic Bloomsbury site.
The competition launched in May 2024; it is expected that a winner will be announced in early 2025.
The competition has two stages:
Stage 1: An open call for expressions of interest from teams that believe they have the knowledge, expertise and creative vision to meet the criteria specified in the competition brief.
Stage 2: Five teams will be shortlisted and asked to expand on how they might approach this specific project, bearing in mind the need for pragmatism, vision, collaboration and bold thinking, while all the time meeting the Museum's exacting sustainable agenda for its estate.
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Egyptian sculpture at the British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum
How to enter
The competition webpage gives you an outline of the competition format and brief. The detailed brief is available through the Delta Portal. All submissions will need to be made through this portal so, if you want to take part, please ensure that you register in good time, before the deadline day.
As it becomes available, further information will be posted on the webpage and on the portal, so do please keep referring back.
