Museum of London has announced the winners of the competition to design new Museum of London at West Smithfield, selected Stanton Williams Architects and Asif Khan based on their innovative thinking, sensitivity to the heritage of existing market buildings and understanding of practicalities of creating a great museum experience.

The two architectural practices have been chosen from six global architecture firm shortlisted in June including BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with Hawkins\Brown, Donald Insall and Gehl Architects, Caruso St John Architects (UK) with Alan Baxter Associates, Diener & Diener Architekten (CH) with Sergison Bates Architects, East Architecture and Graphic Thought Facility, Lacaton & Vassal Architects (FR) with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio, Allies and Morrison and Alan Baxter Associates and studio Milou architecture (FR) with RL& Associés, Axis Architects and Alan Baxter Associates. 

Stanton Williams and Asif Khan will work together on the project with the museum and stakeholders to develop proposals for the site at West Smithfield. Expected planning application is anticipated to follow in 2018. 

Entance of the new Museum of London

An outstanding example of London creativity, Stanton Williams and Asif Khan were selected from an inspiring shortlist of six architectural teams by a panel of well-known figures from the worlds of the arts, media, property, architecture and business, chaired by broadcaster and economist, Evan Davis. The decision brings to a close a six-month long competition funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA), which attracted over 70 entries, and was managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants. The vision for the new Museum of London balances a crisp and contemporary design with a strong recognition of the physicality and power of the existing spaces of the West Smithfield site. 

Their early stage concept featured; a new lifted landmark dome which would create a beautiful light-filled entrance to the museum, innovative spiral escalators transporting visitors down to the exhibition galleries in a vast excavated underground chamber, flexible spaces that can serve as a new meeting place for London and a centre for events and debate and a new sunken garden and green spaces to provide pockets of tranquillity.

The museum intends to submit a planning application for the West Smithfield site to the City of London Corporation in 2018.

There was firm consensus amongst the jury that Stanton Williams and Asif Khan presented a concept that had a strong sense of cohesion which honoured the original market buildings as well as having a passion for the project.

The winning architects will now work closely with the team at the museum and the museum’s stakeholders including the GLA, City of London Corporation and the local Smithfield community to develop their initial concepts into a fully-formed vision for the new museum at West Smithfield.

Permanent galleries look like huge hangars and showcases embedded to brick walls.

''We are immensely excited about being given the opportunity to work with the Museum of London on this wonderfully challenging project – participating in an endeavour that will transform an area of London that has such a rich history, but sadly has been in decline for many years.

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,'' said Paul Williams, Director of Stanton Williams.

Permanent gallery with view of adjacent underground railway lines.

''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,'' said Asif Khan.

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 museum by 2022. The public exhibition displaying the shortlisted design concepts for the new museum at West Smithfield will remain on display until 11 September 2016.

All images courtesy of Museum of London, Asif Khan, Stanton Williams

> via competitions.malcolmreading.co.uk/museumoflondon/