- Plans approved to create new London Museum and regenerate Smithfield
- From DJ sets to late-night cinema Museum of London announces blockbuster festival weekends to close London Wall
- fabric to become world’s first nightclub-in-residence in a Museum
- Major new Museum of London Docklands exhibition uncovers London’s 700 year history of public executions
- 15-year-old Londoner takes over city bus stops as winner announced of Museum of London, BBC 100 & TfL poetry competition
- Museum of London unveils Greatest Hits mural to celebrate 45 years at London Wall
- Museum of London marks 100 days to closure with free event and giveaways for visitors
- Museum of London raises a further £7 million towards its new home at West Smithfield
- Museum of London celebrates 45 years at London Wall as it commences countdown to closure
- Sunil Gupta’s ‘Pretended’ Family Relationships photo series acquired by the Museum of London
- Putin’s Happy – Museum of London acquires Jeremy Deller film revealing a divided country and a city full of protest
- The Museum of London celebrates city's sporting hero with new display on Harry Kane
- The Museum of London presents 'Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream', opening 17 June 2022
- Joe Corré, Jordan and Richard Boon to appear in an uncensored, live Punk.London debate
- 300 year old love message embroidered in human hair to go on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London begins countdown to West Smithfield relocation
- Douglas Gilmore appointed Managing Director of Museum of London Docklands
- New research to shed fresh light on the impact of industrialisation
- The Prince of Wales becomes Museum of London Patron
- The Clash’s Paul Simonon’s famous Fender Precision bass to go on display
- Behind the Scenes of the Museum of London
- Stanton Williams and Asif Khan to design new Museum of London at West Smithfield
- Museum of London acquires ensemble inspired by the creativity of the Windrush generation
- Feeding Black: Community, Power & Place opening 16 July at Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London acquires NHS sign from ZSL London Zoo’s Giraffe House as part of Collecting COVID
- Museum of London sites set to reopen 19 May with extensions of Dub London: Bassline of a City and Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery
- Museum of London acquires Mayor of Lambeth’s homemade ceremonial chain as part of Collecting COVID project
- Museum of London acquires ‘viral’ Tweets for Collecting COVID
- Weavers’ Company donate £100,000 to the Museum of London’s move to Smithfield
- Museum of London receives Trump Baby blimp ahead of the Presidential Inauguration
- Museum of London to collect COVID dreams
- Arsenal’s captain donates Black Lives Matter shirt to the Museum of London
- Dub London: Bassline of a City opening 2 October at the Museum of London
- Public statement October 2020
- London Sugar & Slavery gallery
- New major exhibition Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery opens 11 September at the Museum of London Docklands
- Robert Milligan statue statement
- Museum of London sites to reopen 6 August with four-week extension of The Clash: London Calling display
- Public statement
- Museum of London releases first ever recorded soundscapes of London alongside new recordings of London in lockdown as part of Collecting COVID project
- Design concepts for new museum at West Smithfield revealed
- The Museum of London collects shared experiences of Ramadan in lockdown as part of Collecting COVID project
- Unheard oral histories are released by the Museum of London to mark Windrush Day
- Collecting Covid: the Museum of London seeks to mark unprecedented pandemic for the future
- Millicent Fawcett’s ‘Steadfastness and Courage’ brooch to go on permanent display for the first time
- Museum of London submits plans to create a new world-class cultural destination in West Smithfield
- King Charles I’s execution vest to go on display in new major exhibition
- Museum of London to celebrate Dub Reggae and its influence on the capital
- East End bastion Syd’s coffee stall to be donated to the Museum of London
- Free exhibit celebrating the making of The Clash’s ground-breaking album ‘London Calling’ now open
- Museum of London acquires extremely rare plate that belonged to Samuel Pepys
- The story of the Krios of Sierra Leone to be told in the Museum of London Docklands’ latest display
- Museum of London to host The Clash: London Calling exclusive free exhibit of over 100 personal items
- The largest ever Bronze Age hoard in London has been discovered
- Designs for Museum of London’s new West Smithfield home revealed
- Smithfield Street Party
- Museum of London hopes to acquire both the Trump Baby Blimp and the Sadiq Khan Blimp as part of their permanent collection
- Secret Rivers
- Beasts of London
- Recently acquired panorama goes on display for the first time at the Museum of London
- Museum of London appoints leading names to Board of Governors
- Earliest skull ever mudlarked from the Thames to go on display at the Museum of London
- Museum of London acquires beautiful panorama of lost Houses of Parliament
- Bengali arts and culture on show at the Museum of London Docklands family festival.
- Bonus Levels: Artist Lawrence Lek invites viewers to re-imagine future London
- Young Londoners to take over Museum of London this March
- The Museum of London hopes to acquire Whitechapel 'fatberg'
- Treasured children’s author Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book Wave Me Goodbye inspires family day at the Museum of London Docklands
- The City is Ours: A Tale of New Cities
- Adventures in Peter Pan’s Neverland at Museum of London Docklands
- Photography of Londoners and their pastimes on show at Museum of London
- Tracking London’s most talked about topics and emojis
- London Nights: Museum of London unveils the city at night in major photography exhibition
- Museum of London Docklands celebrates Chinese New Year this February half term
- Statement on 20 May 2017
- Whitechapel’s famous monster fatberg is coming to the Museum of London
- Museum of London Docklands to showcase rare Roman sarcophagus in first public display
- Malcolm Reading Consultants appointed to run West Smithfield International Design Competition
- 8,000 years of human history on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- An Idea for a Future London open call winner announced
- Five Museum of London apprentices appointed
- London Visions: Hypothetical scenarios of a future London
- “Reputational whitewashing” investigated in latest display at the Museum of London Docklands.
- Rare George Cross medal goes on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London displays recently acquired Sutherland drawings in new exhibition of Blitz artwork
- What does the future hold for London and cities around the world?
- Mayor of London and City of London Corporation pledge support for new Museum of London at West Smithfield
- Smithfield street party: Museum of London celebrates 150 years of Smithfield markets
- Museum of London uses Minecraft to recreate the Great Fire of 1666
- Museum of London releases third and final Great Fire 1666 Minecraft map
- Taste not waste: Be inspired by unique recipes using your leftover food for a more sustainable future London
- Museum of London opens most theatrical exhibition ever to mark 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London
- Museum of London acquires 100 menswear items worn by townscape consultant Francis Golding
- Votes for Women programme
- Technology replacing jobs won’t halt our working spirit
- Rare Victoria Cross with mysterious story to go on display at the Museum of London
- New display at the Museum of London traces the capital’s obsession with ice skating
- Rare tools give insight into working lives of Roman Londoners at the Museum of London
- New display reveals complex history of British Army’s West India Regiments
- Historic vessels Knocker White and Varlet set sail to new home at Trinity Buoy Wharf
- Missing Bake Off? Take your taste buds back in time with 17th century gingerbread
- Paddington returns to Museum of London
- Learn how to code like a pro and celebrate digital technology at the Museum of London’s free family festival
- 17th century fire engine restored for Great Fire exhibition
- Museum of London boosts Great Fire collections with mysterious manuscript
- Major new gallery at Museum of London Docklands explores history of the world's largest docks
- Sir Edward Lister joins Museum of London Board of Governors
- West Smithfield Design Competition shortlist announced
- Museum of London bolsters its art collections
- West Smithfield International Design Competition launched
- Another record-breaking year for the Museum of London
- After dark at The Night Museum
- New display about the life of ‘The Royal African’ and the slave trade
- Statue of Robert Milligan joins Museum of London collection
- Our statement on Fabric
- People of Punk bring the year of celebration to an end
- Tunnel: the archaeology of Crossrail
- Museum of London to make 5,000 stories from the capital available to the public for the first time
- The Museum of London Docklands announces major exhibition with public call out to find iconic pieces of fashion history
- Trump Baby Blimp undergoes test inflation
- Museum of London Docklands launches the Dodger family trail, based on BAFTA-winning BBC TV series, Dodger
- Museum of London Docklands announces Indo + Caribbean: The creation of a culture
- Young Londoners push for a more sustainable city in Museum of London report
- Museum of London Docklands announces street party to mark its 20th anniversary, with Vanity Milan, star of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, to headline
- Museum of London formally appoints Sir Robert McAlpine as Construction Management Company on Smithfield project
- Rare Festival of Britain sculpture discovered in London garden will join Museum of London collection
- Jennifer Francis appointed Director of External Affairs at Museum of London
- Museum of London announces acquisition of major sports collecting project, including Wimbledon oral histories
- Coats worn by Princess Diana and Dot Cotton to go on display as part of a major new exhibition
- Bridget Banton and Samir Patel join Museum of London Board of Governors
- Museum of London issues public call for iconic signs from across the capital
- First witness to the Great Fire of London uncovered
- Opening Friday 13 October – Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style at Museum of London Docklands
- Foundation stone unveiled for the new London Museum as principal construction works begin
- New research finds Black women of African descent more likely to die of medieval plague
- Rare tie discovered in charity shop goes on display in London fashion exhibition
- Museum of London Docklands launches new display in collaboration with Mind and Taking Shape Association
- Acclaimed Fashion City exhibition extended to 7 July 2024 with free student ticket offer for April and May
West Smithfield International Design Competition shortlist announced
4 April 2016
The Museum of London announced today the six architectural teams shortlisted to design its new museum in West Smithfield in the international design competition organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC). The museum also released full details of the competition jury.
The new museum, which has a £130-150m construction budget, will secure the future of a series of much-loved heritage buildings at West Smithfield, help regenerate this historic part of the City of London and relaunch the museum, which has seen its audiences soar in recent years.
The shortlisted teams are (in alphabetical order):
- BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with Hawkins\Brown (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)
- studio Milou architecture (FR) with RL& Associés (FR) and Axis Architects (UK)
Almost 80 teams (comprising circa 140 practices) entered the first stage of the competition, which had a strong international showing. The shortlisted teams were selected on the basis of relevant skills and experience, particularly, those involved with significant cultural projects which have had a truly transformational impact.
Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said:
“It’s been an intriguing process so far, the range of creative architectural practices who submitted is phenomenal. The shortlist’s mix promises a fascinating next stage when the finalists’ concept designs go on display at the Museum of London this summer. I look forward to hearing the views of Londoners in the run-up to the jury reviewing the designs and choosing the winner.”
Lucy Musgrave, Director, Publica, and competition juror, said:
“The site for the new museum is complex and intricate. The shortlist represents an intriguing range of talent, some fresh and inspired collaborations, and reflects the international significance of this competition. Each of the finalists in different ways has created great cultural places in cities around the world, and we’re confident they will do the same for London.”
The shortlisted practices will now be briefed and asked to produce design concepts which will be displayed in an exhibition at the Museum of London in the summer before a winner is selected by the jury.
The Museum of London has appointed a stellar panel of jurors from the worlds of the arts, media, property, architecture and business. The jury will be chaired by Governor of the Museum of London and television and radio presenter, Evan Davis.
The jury comprises (in alphabetical order):
- 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
- 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.
Funded by the Mayor of London through a £200,000 grant, the competition is being run in accordance with European Union procurement guidelines under the Restricted Procedure. The museum’s aim is to achieve planning permission, raise the necessary capital funds and deliver the new museum by 2021.
Full details of the competition are available on the dedicated website:
https://competitions.malcolmreading.co.uk/museumoflondon
-ENDS-
Contact us
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About The Museum of London
The Museum of London tells the ever-changing story of this great world city and its people, from 450,000 BC to the present day. Our galleries, exhibitions, displays and activities seek to inspire a passion for London and provide a sense of the vibrancy that makes the city such a unique place.
The museum is open daily 10am – 6pm and is FREE to all, and you can explore the Museum of London with collections online – home to 90,000 objects with more being added. www.museumoflondon.org.uk
About Malcolm Reading Consultants
Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) is a strategic architectural consultancy which specialises in the selection of contemporary designers. MRC believes in the power of design to create new perceptions and act as an inspiration – either at the local level, or internationally.
The consultancy offers a service to find the very best designers for clients with new building projects, whether through open-international, or private-invited competitions. Recent work in this area includes competitions for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Culture & Education Quarter, the Mumbai City Museum, the Natural History Museum, the UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015, New College, Oxford, the Cadogan Estate, Marlborough College, Aberdeen City Garden project, the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Exhibition Road project, the UK Pavilion for the Shanghai Expo and the Glasgow School of Art. https://malcolmreading.co.uk/
About The Cultural Hub
The City of London Corporation has a long history as a leading investor in the arts including the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London in the Square Mile. Together they are working to transform the area from Farringdon to Moorgate and the evolving cultural hub to create an unparalleled destination that is an internationally renowned, distinctive, vibrant and welcoming centre for the arts, heritage, learning and entertainment. A potential new Centre for Music and new Museum of London are a key part of the vision for the cultural hub and will help to redefine this area of the City well in to the future and reinforce the City’s central role in the cultural life of the country.
Full List of Teams
- BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with Hawkins\Brown, Donald Insall and Gehl Architects
- Caruso St John Architects (UK) with Alan Baxter Associates
- Diener & Diener Architekten (CH) with Sergison Bates Architects, East Architecture and Graphic Thought Facility
- Lacaton & Vassal Architectes (FR) with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio
- Stanton Williams (UK) with Asif Khan, Julian Harrap, J&L Gibbons and Plan A
- studio Milou architecture (FR) with RL& Associés, Axis Architects and Alan Baxter Associates
Team Profiles (as supplied by teams)
BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with Hawkins\Brown, Donald Insall and Gehl Architects
For over a decade, BIG Bjarke Ingels Group has been building a reputation as one of the most creative and intelligent architecture offices in the world, working for major institutions such as the Smithsonian and companies such as Google. With over 300 employees based in Copenhagen and New York (and soon London), BIG’s projects are widely recognized as sophisticated design solutions that create dynamic community spaces and innovative forms. BIG’s buildings have been successful on many levels, winning prestigious international awards for architecture, landscape, and urban design, while achieving programmatic, budget and schedule goals. Significant projects in their cultural portfolio include the Danish Maritime Museum, a museum come to life in an abandoned dry dock in Helsingor, Denmark and 2015 Mies Van Der Rohe Finalist, and their ongoing work with the Smithsonian Institution for their South Campus Master Plan in Washington, DC.
Caruso St John Architects (UK) with Alan Baxter Associates
Since its foundation in 1990, Caruso St John has been pursuing an architecture that is rooted in place. The practice resists the thin-skinned abstraction that characterises much global architecture in favour of buildings that are perceived slowly over time and that have an emotional content.
Its work is enriched by an on-going dialogue with the European city and with history – that of architecture, art, and culture more widely – traditions that bring an accumulated richness of expression to the work. Ideas are elaborated in a manner akin to art practices that engage directly with the built environment and embrace the ‘found’ space. Caruso St John intervenes in sites carefully, valuing the humble and everyday as well as the more celebrated products of the architectural canon. It is the context that is the starting point for generating form rather than allowing the programme to dictate the architecture.
Diener & Diener Architekten (CH) with Sergison Bates Architects, East Architecture and Graphic Thought Facility
Sergison Bates’ work is informed by a sensitive approach to place, the experiential potential of materials and construction and a concern for the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability. Award-winning projects include the Ruthin Craft Centre, Wales, the Blankenberge city library, Belgium and urban housing projects in London, Geneva and Vienna.
Diener & Diener’s work is concerned with the variety and continuity of the European city. Their work ranges from residential projects to masterplans for regenerating urban areas and the renovation of historical public buildings – among them the Museum of Natural History, Berlin, and the Shoa Memorial in Paris.
East will develop the public realm strategy, while Graphic Thought Facility will be in charge of wayfinding and identity.
Through collaboration, the team aspire to create a contemporary architecture that looks beyond form alone and seeks to root projects in the city, considering the life and memory of place a significant aspect of design.
Lacaton & Vassal Architectes (FR) with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio
Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal are the principals of Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, a Paris-based internationally renowned practice, since its creation in 1989. Lacaton & Vassal Architectes engages different public programs and scales promoting an idea of architecture based on generosity, freedom of use and pleasure. Its work has been recognized with the highest awards in France (‘Equerre d’Argent’ in 2011, ‘Grand Prix de l’Architecture’ in 2008) and internationally (‘Rolf Shock prize’ in 2014, ‘Design of the year’ in 2011, ‘International Fellow of the RIBA’ in 2009).
Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio is a London-based architecture and design practice realising innovative projects that span the disciplines of architecture, art, design and fashion. The studio produces work for and with international clients and collaborators such as Vitra, Coca-Cola and Mark Ronson, The Architecture Foundation, The Royal Academy of Arts, The British Council, Topshop, the Venice Architecture Biennale and Storefront for Art and Architecture.
Stanton Williams (UK) with Asif Khan, Julian Harrap, J&L Gibbons and Plan A
A collaboration between Stanton Williams and Asif Khan working together with conservation architect Julian Harrap; public realm consultant J&L Gibbons; and design manager Plan A. We are immensely excited at the possibility of working on this wonderfully challenging project – participating in an endeavour that will transform an area of London that has such a rich history, but sadly has been in decline for many years. Projects by the team members include: the UAL Campus for Central Saint Martins at King’s Cross, King’s Cross Square, the 2012 Stirling Prize-winning Sainsbury Laboratory; the Neues Museum in Berlin; The Coca Cola Beatbox Pavilion at the London 2012 Olympics, the Angel Building, Islington and the yet to be completed Open Up project at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. We believe the creative team assembled are without doubt capable of providing the chemistry, passion, dedication, inspiration and knowledge required to deliver a world class scheme for the Museum of London.
studio Milou architecture (FR) with RL& Associés, Axis Architects and Alan Baxter Associates
studio Milou architecture is a French architectural firm with offices in Paris and Singapore that specializes in the design of museums and cultural spaces and the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings. It was founded in 1997 by architect Jean-Francois Milou whose work has focused on finding imaginative solutions for the reuse of historical buildings while respecting their fabric, meaning and surroundings. Notable projects include museums at Mulhouse and Cherbourg in France, and in 2007 the firm was placed first in the international competition for the National Gallery of Singapore (NGS). Its adaptive reuse of the Carreau du Temple, a 19th-century heritage market in Paris, opened to the public in 2015. The firm has won numerous awards and its work has been featured in various publications. It has a trademark attachment to preserving the integrity of historical buildings while developing elegant and simple designs that accommodate both contemporary and functional requirements.
Jury Biographies
Please see competition website (opens in a new window)