British Museum Announces Architecture Shortlist

The British Museum has announced its shortlist of five architect-led consultant teams that will compete in the second stage of its International Architectural Competition.

British Museum, Great Court

The competition has been set up to select a team that will work with the Museum to reimagine over a third of its gallery space. Stage two will run until December 2024, at which point there will be a display of the shortlisted candidates’ entries in the Museum’s iconic Round Reading Room. The outcome of the competition will be announced in early 2025.

The winning team will work with experts across the British Museum to develop designs for the Western Range that respond to the Museum’s sensitive historic buildings, ambitious decarbonisation plans, and the ongoing process of reimagining the display and care of collections.

British Museum

Stage one of the competition ran from 8 May to 21 June 2024, attracting over 60 team entries, ranging across six continents and an exciting range of experience; from recently formed practices to long-established firms. The competition is being run on behalf of the British Museum by Colander Associates.

The five shortlisted teams include some of the most celebrated British and international architects alongside a variety of consultants that represent a compelling mix of expertise from a wide range of perspectives.

The shortlisted teams are:

Team 1: 6a Architects

with: Advanced Integrated Solutions, Arup, David Bonnett Associates, Gitta Gschwendtner, Kellenberger-White, London School of Architecture, Purcell,
Studio ZNA

Team 2: David Chipperfield Architects

with: AEA Consulting, Adamson Associates, Alan Baxter Associates, Arup, Atelier Brückner, Atelier Ten, Lobe Lloyd, Julian Harrap Architects, Plan A, Reusefully, Neal Shasore

Team 3: Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects

with: Buro Happold, David Bonnett Associates, Max Fordham, Mima, Price & Myers, Purcell, Space Syntax, Studio ZNA

Team 4: Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture

with: Ali Cherri, Arup, Holmes Studio, Plan A, Purcell

Team 5: OMA

with: Arup, Benoy, Cookies, Ducks Scéno, EQ2 Light, Purcell, Salvatore Settis, Studio ZNA

The British Museum Western Range Architectural Competition