stanton williams + asif khan to design new museum of london at west smithfield

the museum of london has selected stanton williams and asif khan to design its new institution at west smithfield. the team was chosen ahead of five other proposals from established names such as BIG, caruso st john, and lacaton & vassal. the winning concept includes a lifted dome that creates a light-filled entrance, with spiral escalators transporting visitors down to the exhibition galleries in a vast excavated underground chamber. a sunken garden and various green spaces also form part of the plan.

the proposed entrance to the new museum at west smithfield
all images courtesy of museum of london / stanton williams / asif khan

joining stanton williams and asif khan is conservation architect julian harrap and landscape design consultants J&L gibbons. the winning architects will now work closely with the museum of london and its stakeholders — including the GLA, city of london corporation and the local smithfield community — to develop their initial concepts into a fully-formed vision.

the jury believed that the winning team presented a concept that had a strong sense of cohesion, which honored the original market buildings. evan davis, chair of the jury, said: ‘the jury knew it would be a difficult choice and that’s what it turned out to be. we had six fantastic teams on the shortlist; each had ideas for the site that were both ambitious and interesting. I would never have guessed that you could take wonderful old buildings like that and turn them into a new museum in so many completely different ways.’

spiral escalators transport visitors down to exhibition galleries below

‘we are immensely excited about being given the opportunity to work with the museum of london on this wonderfully challenging project – participating in an endeavor that will transform an area of london that has such a rich history, but sadly has been in decline for many years,’ said paul williams, director of stanton williams. ‘encountering the historic market spaces for the first time in early april this year, we were ‘blown away’ by the power and physicality already existing, and knew then, that whatever scheme we developed, this physicality needed to be harnessed, and not lost, and that initial observation has inspired our initial design proposals. this project will engage a broad community well beyond london.’

the museum is slated for completion in 2022

asif khan added: ‘to have a chance to create a new museum for london, in london, about london, at this moment in time is incredibly exciting for us. we all know the power of public spaces in changing our city and our individual lives, and this is what drives us. we want the museum of london to be a museum where everyone belongs, and where the future of london is created.’

the museum intends to submit a planning application for the west smithfield site to the city of london corporation in 2018, and to deliver the new institution by 2022. the public exhibition displaying the shortlisted design concepts for the new museum at west smithfield will remain on display until september 11, 2016. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

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