museum of london shortlist includes BIG, caruso st john, and lacaton & vassal

museum of london shortlist includes BIG, caruso st john, and lacaton & vassal

the museum of london has announced the six architectural teams shortlisted to design its new museum in west smithfield. the institution, which has a £130-150 million ($185- 215 million USD) construction budget, aims to regenerate a historic part of the city through securing the future of a series of much-loved heritage buildings. the project will relaunch the museum, which has seen its audiences soar in recent years. in alphabetical order, the shortlisted teams are as follows:

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 international teams entered the first stage of the competition. the six finalists were selected on the basis of relevant skills and experience, with an emphasis on those involved with significant cultural projects with transformational impacts. the museum of london has also appointed a 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 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.

‘it’s been an intriguing process so far, the range of creative architectural practices who submitted is phenomenal,’ said sharon ament, director of the museum of london. ‘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.’

the museum of london attracts over 1 million visitors each year

the museum of london cares for more than six million objects in its collections and attracts over one million visitors each year. the institution ambition is to be at the heart of a new, well connected cultural hub and be one of london’s most visited museums. with the move to west smithfield, the museum will relinquish its current building, designed by powell & moya and opened by queen elizabeth ii in 1976. located on london wall – with fragments of the roman wall just outside its entrance – it forms part of the barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 1970s.

the museum plans to deliver the new building by 2021.