Image: LGA's architectural competition submission for Western Ranges galleries © LGA
Architect selected for the development of the galleries, who will now work with the museum to develop initial designs by mid-2026.
The British Museum has today announced Lina Ghotmeh Architecture (LGA) has won the competition to redesign its Western Range galleries.
The London museum launched an architecture competition in May 2024, receiving more than 60 entries from architecture practices, from which five teams were shortlisted.
The museum’s judging panel comprised ten members of the architecture industry alongside the British Museum’s Director Nicholas Cullinan and Chair George Osborne.
The final selection and winner was LGA, which is led by architect Lina Ghotmeh. Her work includes the recently completed Hermès Leather Workshop in Louviers, Normandy which opened in 2023 and the Estonian National Museum in Tartu.
Ghotmeh and her team will now work with the Museum to develop initial designs by mid-2026.
George Osborne, Chairman of the British Museum and Chair of the Judging Panel, said Ghotmeh “combines a deep sensitivity to the history of our great collection while being a voice for the future.
“We had many outstanding entries – and I thank the other practices for all their hard work – but I can say as chair of the judging panel, she was the standout winner.
Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum, added: “[Ghotmeh’s] 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.
Ghotmeh said: “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.”
