New Museum of London in West Smithfield
© Stanton Williams / Asif Kahn (courtesy MRC)
The challenge to design a new Museum of London in a very traditional context did not deter some of Europe’s premier modernists from entering this competition. The prize was the conversion of a building in the West Smithfield area, intended to anchor an important cultural district in the city. The new museum, which has a £130-150m construction budget, will secure the future of a series of much-loved heritage buildings at West Smithfield, help regenerate this historic part of the City of London and re-launch the museum, which has seen its audiences soar in recent years. Whereas other major capitals may only have one museum of history, the Museum of London already exists in other locations in the city, most notably in the Square Mile and the Docklands. But establishing a new museum in another location only serves to illustrate the wealth of historical materials accessible to the museum in its archives.
The Cultural Hub (from the competition announcement)
The City of London Corporation has a long history as a leading investor in the arts including the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London in the Square Mile. Together they are working to transform the area from Farringdon to Moorgate and the evolving Cultural Hub to create an unparalleled destination that is an internationally renowned, distinctive, vibrant and welcoming centre for the arts, heritage, learning and entertainment. A potential new Museum of London and a new Centre for Music are key parts of the vision for the Cultural Hub and will help to redefine this area of the City well in to the future and reinforce the City’s central role in the cultural life of the country.
 | © Stanton Williams / Asif Kahn (courtesy MRC) | To organize and administer the competition, the City of London Museum engaged Malcolm Reading Consultants, professional advisers for a number of museum competitions in Europe and abroad—one of the most notable involving a modern extension to the existing Mumbai City Museum in India. The competition participants were selected via a shortlisting process limited to European architects with notable reputations. They were:
Winner
▪ Stanton Williams (UK) with Asif Khan (UK)
Finalists
▪ BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with
Hawkins\Brown (UK)
▪ Caruso St John Architects (UK)
▪ Diener & Diener Architekten (CH) with Sergison Bates Architects (UK)
▪ Lacaton & Vassal Architectes (FR) with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio (UK)
• Studio Milou architecture (FR) with RL& Associés (FR) and Axis Architects (UK)
The competition jury, primarily made up of experts not directly involved in the practice of architecture, but representing strong expertise in the museum field, consisted of the following:
▪ Sonita Alleyne, OBE, FRSA, Founder, The Yes Programme
▪ Sharon Ament, Director, Museum of London
▪ Clive Bannister, Chair, Museum of London Board of Governors and Group Chief Executive, Phoenix Group Holdings
▪ David Camp, Governor, Museum of London and Chief Executive, Stanhope;
▪ Evan Davis, Governor, Museum of London and television and radio presenter (Jury Chair)
▪ Dr Stephen Deuchar CBE, Director, Art Fund
▪ Sir Simon Jenkins, journalist, author and broadcaster
▪ Professor Robert Mull, Architect, Former Director of Architecture and Dean of the Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, and Trustee of the Architecture Foundation;
▪ Lucy Musgrave, Director, Publica;
▪ Jörn Rausing, Governor, Museum of London;
▪ Malcolm Reading, Malcolm Reading Consultants (adviser to the jury).
As might have been anticipated, the entries represented a number of approaches, both in the way they dealt with facilities siting, as well as architectural expression. It was apparent that the jury was not so interested in any replicational approach, rather than a practical, straightforward solution to the challenge. After the final adjudication of the entries, Stanton Williams with Asif Kahn was selected as the winner According to the jury, “The winner was chosen on basis of innovative thinking, sensitivity to the heritage of existing market buildings and understanding of practicalities of creating a great museum experience.”
Finalists
BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (DK) with Hawkins\Brown (UK)


© BIG (courtesy MRC)
Caruso St John Architects (UK


© Caruso St.John Architects (courtesy MRC)
Diener & Diener Architekten (CH) with Sergison Bates Architects (UK)


© Diener & Diener Architekten (courtesy MRC)
Lacaton & Vassal Architectes (FR) with Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio (UK)


© Lacaton & Vassel ARchitectes (courtesy MRC)
Studio Milou architecture (FR) with RL& Associés (FR) and Axis Architects (UK)


© Studio Milou architecture (courtesy MRC)
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Houston Endowment’s New Headquarters on the Bayou  Southwest view Houston Endowment Headquarters – Photo Ivan Baan, courtesy Kevin Daly Following in the footsteps of other major non-profits—The Ford Foundation and LA’s California Endowment Center in particular—the Houston Endowment’s new headquarters, located on a grassy knoll just above the Buffalo Bayou in the city’s outskirts, has also made a strong architectural statement. Similar to the California Endowment, this project was also the result of a design competition, won by the California firm, Kevin Daly Architects. Read more… Young Architects in Competitions When Competitions and a New Generation of Ideas Elevate Architectural Quality  by Jean-Pierre Chupin and G. Stanley Collyer published by Potential Architecture Books, Montreal, Canada 2020 271 illustrations in color and black & white Available in PDF and eBook formats ISBN 9781988962047 What do the Vietnam Memorial, the St. Louis Arch, and the Sydney Opera House have in common? These world renowned landmarks were all designed by architects under the age of 40, and in each case they were selected through open competitions. At their best, design competitions can provide a singular opportunity for young and unknown architects to make their mark on the built environment and launch productive, fruitful careers. But what happens when design competitions are engineered to favor the established and experienced practitioners from the very outset? This comprehensive new book written by Jean-Pierre Chupin (Canadian Competitions Catalogue) and Stanley Collyer (COMPETITIONS) highlights for the crucial role competitions have played in fostering the careers of young architects, and makes an argument against the trend of invited competitions and RFQs. The authors take an in-depth look at past competitions won by young architects and planners, and survey the state of competitions through the world on a region by region basis. The end result is a compelling argument for an inclusive approach to conducting international design competitions. Download Young Architects in Competitions for free at the following link: https://crc.umontreal.ca/en/publications-libre-acces/
The Makasiiniranta South Harbor Competition
Helsinki South Harbour and Tori Quarter Suomen Ilmakuva Helsinki. Image credit/ Tietoa Finland, Janne Hirvonen
As a prelude to a competition for the design of a new Architecture and Design Museum to be located in Helsinki’s South Harbor, the City of Finland staged an open competition to establish a roadmap for the future redevelopment of the Makasiiniranta harbor area, the last old harbor area to be transformed for public use in Helsinki. The competition for the museum is scheduled to take place later this year; but the entire surrounding area has come up with a plan to review improvements for the entire harbor environment.
Read more… Vltava Philharmonic Hall Design Competition  View to Concert Hall from bridge ©BIG Classical music is still part of a vibrant musical scene in Prague, with at least four principal venues hosting concerts, ballet and opera. As a modern European city, the only missing venue from these choices is a state of the art concert hall. Other European neighbors have also recently staged competitions for such projects: Munich, won by Cukrowicz Nachbaur Architekten of Bregenz, Austria; Belgrade, won by AL_A of London; and Vilnius, Lithuania, won by Arquivio Architects of Spain. It should be noted, however, that one of the most important competitions for a concert hall, not only in Europe, but the world, was the 1961 Berlin Philharmonic hall competition, won by Hans Scharoun (below). It was the interior of that building, in particular, that served as a model for many others that followed, one of the first being Los Angeles’ Disney Hall by Frank Gehry. Read more… Budapest’s Nyugati Rail Station Competition  Image courtesy Budapest Development Agency ©Grimshaw Completed in 1877, Budapest’s Nyugati Railway Station has witnessed many of the twists and turns of Hungarian history: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, revolutions of post-World War I and 1956, and various shades of expansion and shrinkage in their territory. Its important location in Europe’s history as a contested land in southeastern Europe has not only served as a path for armies of conquest, but as a matter of great interest for major powers. Amid all the changes it has experienced, Hungary, and Budapest in particular, has retained a fascination for outsiders, making it one of Europe’s high profile tourist attractions. Read more… A Quest for that Elusive Connective Formula  First Place: Pedestrian perspective from Parliament – Zeidler Architecture in association with David Chipperfield Architects How do you find a common thread that can connect an eclectic collection of buildings, visually as well as physically, all located within a one-block site, located just across from Canada’s Parliament building in Ottawa. To identify this common thread that could tie everything together, the client turned to a design competition for answers. With the aid of consultants, [phase eins] from Berlin and experts from Canada’s’ own Université de Montréal’s School of Architecture, the client turned to an invited international format to finally settle on six teams that could rethink the site. Read more… |