Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh Architecture has been selected to renovate the British Museum‘s Western Range galleries in London.
Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, which is led by Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh, was announced as the winner of the historical museum’s two-stage international competition to oversee the transformation of a third of its gallery space.
The winning studio was selected as a “unanimous favourite” from a five-strong shortlist for its proposal to take an “archaeological approach” towards the redesign.
It will now work with experts across the British Museum to develop the project, which forms part of its wider transformation masterplan. Initial designs are set to be developed by mid-2026.
“I am looking forward to continuing this rich and collaborative process as we work towards transforming this section of the museum into an extraordinary space — a place of connections for the world and of the world,” Ghotmeh said.
While the final design is yet to be developed, early renders imagine lofty galleries complete with “materially sensitive” interiors and clerestory openings that draw light into the space.
At ground level, a centralised exhibition space is depicted with seating for visitors backed by arched openings, while tiered balconies will host additional gallery space.
Textured, stone-coloured surfaces informed by Ghotmeh’s archaeological approach are set to feature in the redesign.
“In Lina Ghotmeh we have an architect who combines a deep sensitivity to the history of our great collection while being a voice for the future,” jury member and chairman of the British Museum George Osborne said.
“Her team’s proposals demonstrated an exceptional and materially sensitive architectural vision for the British Museum, and their ‘archaeological’ approach clearly understood the ambition for this project to be as much an intellectual transformation as an architectural one,” jury member and director of the British Museum Nicholas Cullinan added.
Alongside Osborne and Cullinan on the judging panel were ten architecture professionals, including co-founder of Grafton Architects Yvonne Farrell.
Last year, architects were urged by activist collective BP or not BP? “not to work with the British Museum” due to its masterplan redevelopment being funded by oil company BP.
According to the collective, the £50 million donation from the oil company had been described as “one of the biggest, most brazen greenwashing sponsorship deals the sector has ever seen”.
Previous projects by Ghotmeh’s studio include the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion in London designed to be “an invitation to dwell together” and an Hermès leather workshop in Louviers, France, that has “galloping arches”.
The renders are courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh Architecture.
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