STUDIOS + Selldorf team wins Louvre overhaul competition in Paris

Nearly 40 years after I.M. Pei transformed the Louvre Museum with his once-controversial pyramid, the storied Paris art landmark is gearing up for another major architectural intervention — this time led by STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects. 

Earlier today, French officials selected the team’s proposal as the winner of the international "Louvre-Nouvelle Renaissance" competition as part of the new “Grande Colonnade” project, an ambitious overhaul aimed at untangling circulation, improving access, and giving the world’s busiest museum a little more room to breathe.

Rather than chasing another instantly recognizable icon, the winning scheme takes a decidedly quieter approach. The proposal focuses on the Louvre’s eastern edge, reconnecting the museum to the city through a reworked public realm, greener landscapes, and a new sequence of entrances and pathways intended to disperse and guide the museum’s famously relentless crowds.

New underground entrances will flank landscaped moats on the Seine and Rue de Rivoli sides, leading visitors toward updated exhibition spaces and a dedicated section for the Mona Lisa. 

Ramps carved into the existing stonework aim to create gentler circulation paths, while restaurants, bookshops, and shaded gathering areas are folded into the infrastructure almost invisibly. 

BASE Landscape Architecture is handling the landscape and urban planning.

A shortlist of five finalist teams was announced in October 2025, comprising also Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Amanda Levete Architects, Dubuisson Architecture in collaboration with SANAA, and Sou Fujimoto Architects.

The project now enters a consultation phase with museum staff, heritage agencies, city officials, and the public before moving into further development.