Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) the newly completed British Museum's World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre is a key piece in the institution's significant extension scheme - which includes the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, unveiled in March.
The new centre was commissioned in 2007, as a response to the museum's growing needs, both in terms of exhibition space and the protection and upkeep its collection. Now, the museum will have ample and suitably state-of-the-art spaces to store, conserve, study and display its pieces. 'For the first time ever, facilities are properly adapted to the needs of the museum,' says British Museum director Neil MacGregor. This project, which has been almost four years in the making, is not only aiming to highlight the renowned museum as a world leader of exhibitions, but also conservation and study of historical artefacts.
Located in the Bloomsbury complex's northwest corner, the building is set to greatly improve the museum's on site operations. 'Our main task was to solve issues that developed in the museum over the past few years,' explains RSHP's Graham Stirk. The site's preparation began in 2010 and the carefully executed construction work - sensitive to the existing buildings and the museum's irreplaceable collection nearby, and managed by Mace - is now reaching completion, with the final touches currently being added.
Its nine levels (about half of which are nestled underground) include naturally lit conservation rooms, laboratories, studios, offices and extensive modernised services and facilities to support all the various functions. Its truck lift for example, is one of the largest in Europe, while its environmentally controlled storage areas span approximately 5,100 sq m.
True to the practice's tradition, the building features exposed services and is created in a contemporary style, one however, that respects its historical neighbours. 'Yes, we were [intimidated by the context],' says Stirk. But the team worked towards maintaining the street's proportions, breaking down the addition's volume into smaller pavilions, clad in kiln-formed glass and Portland stone as a response to the area's existing material palette.
The British Museum's extension is a thoughtful addition to an iconic London neighbourhood, responding sympathetically to the rhythm and coloration of its surroundings; and developments are still ongoing. Future plans include a green roof across the pavilions, which will include bird nesting boxes and two beehives.
Located in the Bloomsbury complex's northwest corner (right), the new building is set to greatly improve the museum's on site operations
The site's preparation began in 2010 and the carefully executed construction work - sensitive to the existing buildings and the museum's irreplaceable collection nearby - is now reaching completion, with the final touches currently being added.
Its nine levels include naturally lit conservation rooms, laboratories and studios, offices and extensive modernised services and facilities to support all the various functions.
The museum will have ample and suitably state-of-the-art spaces to store, conserve, study and display its collection.
The extension scheme includes the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, which was unveiled in March.
Clad in kiln-formed glass and Portland stone, the façade is a response to the area's existing material palette.
The spatial arrangement circles around two main elements; the primary, 'served' spaces and the secondary, 'servant' spaces.
Several circulation hubs connect the building's different floors, linking office and studio spaces with the storage facilities underground.
The project's environmentally controlled storage areas span approximately 5,100 sq m
ADDRESS
World Conservation and Exhibition Centre
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
-
Carsten Höller’s new Book of Games: 336 playful pastimes for the bold and the boredArtist Carsten Höller invites readers to step out of their comfort zone with a series of subversive games
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This curvy stovetop espresso maker brings a shot of artistry to your coffee ritual‘The Anticline’ stovetop espresso maker by Cultivation Objects takes its name from a geological formation and wins a Wallpaper* Design Award 2025 for its curves
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dream
An east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2025: the 14 London homes adding design oomph to the everydayThe shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve 2025 has been announced, revealing 14 residential projects across London that add value and pizazz to their inhabitants’ daily lives
-
Space House: explore the brutalist London landmark’s new chapterSpace House, a landmark of brutalist architecture by Richard Seifert & Partners in London’s Covent Garden, is back following a 21st-century redesign by Squire & Partners and developer Seaforth Land
-
Fire-damaged Walworth Town Hall shows off majestic transformationWalworth Town Hall gets a much-needed reimagining by Feix & Merlin, who transformed the heritage building into a contemporary workspace and a hub of its local community in south London
-
Hanif Kara on building materials, the transition from old to new, and a healthy dose of realismHanif Kara, co-founder of structural engineering practice AKT II, discusses building materials and the future of sustainability
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A brutalist garden revived: the case of the Mountbatten House grounds by Studio Knight StokoeTour a brutalist garden redesign by Studio Knight Stokoe at Mountbatten House, a revived classic in Basingstoke, UK
