V&A receives planning permission for £41m Exhibition Road project
Image: How the new open courtyard will look
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London, UK has announced it has secured planning permission from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for its £41m (US$64m, EUR52m) Exhibition Road project.
Amanda Levete Architects (ALA) were appointed in March 2011 to work on the scheme, which will lead to the creation of a new purpose-built underground gallery.
Enabling work is now due to start this autumn, with the project to include a new entrance that allows guests to access the gallery by a staircase offering views of the museum's façade.
Work will also include opening up a previously inaccessible back-of-house space to create a new open courtyard for installation, events and a café.
The V&A has now raised £25m (US$39m, EUR32m) towards the total cost of the Exhibition Road project, which is due for completion in late 2015 and will open to the public in 2016.
Sir Paul Ruddock, chair of the V&A board of trustees, said: "This project will transform the way we present temporary exhibitions and reinforce the Museum as a world leader of art and design.
"Not only will the development continue to improve the presence of Exhibition Road as an international cultural hub but it will provide us with the building and facilities to welcome more residents and visitors than ever before."
ALA principal Amanda Levete added: "We're re-imagining the dialogue between the V&A and Exhibition Road and in doing so, creating a new public space in the cultural and learning heart of London."
Click here for more information about the Exhibition Road project, which has now been awarded planning permission.
More details: www.vam.ac.uk
Image (c) Amanda Levete Architects - Victoria and Albert Museum, London


Therme appoints UK CEO as £250m Therme Manchester gets planning approval

Construction work to begin on Universal Resort Beijing's second phase 'by 2025'

Sparcstudio gives Center Parcs' Aqua Sana concept an extensive forest-inspired makeover

Studio Apostoli plans wellness oasis in Mongolian national park

Soho House to expand with new properties in UK, North America and Latin America

Art Processors win Fast Co Design Award for Sydney Opera House 50th anniversary synchronised show

September reopening for Britain's oldest lido following £9m transformation

Rixos to open Turkish-inspired beachfront spa resort in Dubai Islands

Rosewood’s second Austrian Asaya spa to open in restored 15th-century castle

1 Hotel Mayfair launches with Bamford Wellness Spa and biophilic design by GA Group

Otherworld Philadelphia is a place where 'anything is possible'

Mandarin Oriental opens first retreat in Greece and announces upcoming Sardinian property and spa

Third Space joins Six Senses at luxury development The Whiteley

GymNation – owned by JD Gyms – opens latest club in Dubai and plans Middle East expansion

Entertainment resort and waterpark planned for Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Plans revealed for US$2bn Oklahoma theme park

Nike gets into the health club market with the launch of group exercise studios

Canyon Ranch receives additional US$150m investment from VICI Properties to fund expansion

Communal bathhouses and self-care inspire LA's upcoming wellness club, Hume

Foster + Partners slated to design Equinox Resort Amaala

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios' Eden Project Dundee will celebrate myth-makers and alchemists

Noa* creates elemental spa for alpine eco-resort in Austria

Meow Wolf opens The Real Unreal psychedelic experience in Grapvine, Texas

Boutique Greek island retreat unveils new spa with waterfall treatment rooms

PLP Architecture's Mandarin Oriental Bankside will be part of UK's first operationally fossil fuel-free mixed-use development

Fletcher Priest creates new design for Therme Manchester

Buro Happold hosts active transport event at World Congress of Architecture in Copenhagen

Aardman Animation and design studio, Katapult, launch new attraction concept

Anotherform and Fluxprojects create immersive fitness concept for Blok in London

FaulknerBrowns delivers new Lee Valley Ice Centre with two Olympic rinks
Early-onset MS inspired Adria Lake to explore resilience as both a healing modality and an approach to design in the creation of her new home and company headquarters in Colorado