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British Museum shortlists five teams to design visitor welcome experience

Five design teams vie to reimagine the British Museum’s visitor welcome experience at both entrances, with a focus on sustainability and flexibility.

The British Museum has announced a shortlist of five design teams, one of which will go on to redesign the museum’s welcome pavilion and public realm at both the north and south entrances.

The invited designers formed consultant teams to develop a proposal, with what it said was a “clear end-of-life plan that will account for the re-use of any structures erected on the site.”

The British Museum has announced a shortlist of five design teams, one of which will go on to redesign the museum’s welcome pavilion and public realm at both the north and south entrances.

The invited designers formed consultant teams to develop a proposal, with what it said was a “clear end-of-life plan that will account for the re-use of any structures erected on the site.”

The shortlisted teams are:

Collective Cultures (OMMX, AANF, Msoma Architects, YAA Projects)
with J&L Gibbons

East Architecture and Hayatsu Architects
with Bradley-Hole Schoenaich Landscape

Periscope
with Assemble

Publica
with Carmody Groarke

Studio Weave
with Wright & Wright Architects, Webb Yates Engineers, Tom Massey Studio and Daisy Froud

The competition site plan

The brief asks the teams to make proposals for “high-quality, flexible and sustainable pavilions and public realm that will improve the welcome experience to the Museum”.

The project is a precursor to a permanent redesign project, it will “pave the way for a permanent reconsideration of both entrances to the Museum and the surrounding public realm in a later phase of the British Museum’s Masterplan project”, the museum said.

Alice Fraser, Head of Capital Projects: Masterplan at the British Museum, said: “Our long-term intention is to bring forward permanent improvements that account for growth in our visitor numbers and reimagine the relationship between our buildings and the wider neighbourhood as part of our Masterplan project.

“The Visitor Welcome Pavilion project will act as a precursor to that process, calling for high-quality designs that deliver an immediate improvement for visitors and allow the Museum the flexibility to explore new solutions to our welcome experience.

“I’m very excited to be calling on this talented group of designers and await the outcome of the procurement with anticipation.”

The shortlist of consultants will each receive a fixed fee to develop concept designs, which will be evaluated by the Museum before the contract to progress a single design to RIBA Stage 7 is awarded towards the end of 2024.

The shortlist is not to be confused with the museum’s shortlist of five architect-led consultant teams that will compete in the second stage of its International Architectural Competition, which was announced in August.