Designing the new Museum of London: international competition gains momentum with shortlist of six architectural teams

The Museum of London announced that six architectural teams have been shortlisted to design its new museum in West Smithfield. The international design competition, organized by Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC), will secure the future of several heritage buildings in the historic section of the city.

With a construction budget of £130-150m (approximately $184- 212m USD), the relaunch of the Museum is expected to revive the area of West Smithfield. The museum’s focus is to "achieve planning permission, raise the necessary capital funds and deliver the new museum by 2021."

The six shortlisted teams include:

• BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with HawkinsBrown (UK)
• Caruso St John Architects (UK)
• Diener & Diener Architekten (CH) with Sergison Bates Architects (UK)
• Lacaton & Vassal Architectes (FR) with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio (UK)
• Stanton Williams (UK) with Asif Khan (UK)
• studioMilou architecture (FR) with RL&Associés (FR) and Axis Architects (UK)

The first stage of the competition had a strong international showing, with almost 80 teams vying for the opportunity to design the Museum’s new location. “The shortlist represents an intriguing range of talent… and reflects the international significance of this competition. Each of the finalists, in different ways, has created great cultural [sic] places in cities around the world, and we’re confident they will do the same for London”, mentioned Lucy Musgrave, Director, Publica, and competition juror.

Now that the teams have been chosen, participants will be asked to produce design concepts that will be displayed throughout an exhibition hosted by the Museum of London this summer. Following the establishment’s presentation, a roster of jurors will decide on the winning design. The Governor of the Museum of London, Evan Davis, will act as chair.

The jury includes:

• Sonita Alleyne, OBE, FRSA, Founder, The Yes Programme
• Sharon Ament, Director, Museum of London
• Clive Bannister, Chair, Museum of London Board of Governors and Group Chief Executive, Phoenix Group Holdings
• David Camp, Governor, Museum of London and Chief Executive, Stanhope
• Evan Davis, Governor, Museum of London and television and radio presenter (Jury Chair)
• Dr Stephen Deuchar CBE, Director, Art Fund
• Professor Robert Mull, Architect, Former Director of Architecture and Dean of the Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, and Trustee of the Architecture Foundation
• Lucy Musgrave, Director, Publica
• Michelle Ogundehin, Editor-in-Chief, ELLE Decoration
• Jörn Rausing, Governor, Museum of London
• and Malcolm Reading, Malcolm Reading Consultants (adviser to the jury)

“The Museum of London wants to bring the extraordinary story of London to West Smithfield, to tell Londoners about their city, their history and their lives, and showcase the largest archaeological archive in the world. The museum’s ambition is to be at the heart of a new, well-connected cultural hub and be one of London’s most visited museums. Finding a winning architect is an important first step in that journey”, states the competition’s official website.

The competition will be funded by the Mayor of London through a £200,000 (around $283,000 USD) grant, and will be run in accordance with European Union procurement guidelines under the Restricted Procedure.

For further information on the West Smithfield International Design Competition, click here.