Architecture and design news:
museums & heritage
First phases of new Grand Museum of Egypt inaugurated
by Martin Nash | 17 Jun 2010
Suzanne Mubarak, wife of the president of Egypt, has inaugurated the first two phases of the new US$550m (£372m, €444m) Grand Museum of Egypt. The new 100,000sq m (1.1m sq ft) museum, which occupies a 120-acre (48.5 hectares) site about 2km (1.2 miles) from the Pyramids of Giza, now has a power plant, a fire station and a conservation centre. One of the milestones in the museum's construction has been
V&A Dundee design shortlist announced
by Pete Hayman | 01 Jun 2010
Six companies have been shortlisted as part of an international design competition to draw up plans for a landmark new building to house the proposed V&A at Dundee. Located at Craig Harbour as part of city's redeveloped waterfront area, the attraction will host travelling and permanent exhibitions, as well as providing a resource for design and creativity. Among the shortlisted design teams is Vienna, Austria-based Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, along
£78m Bodleian Library revamp approved
by Pete Hayman | 28 May 2010
Plans for the major £78m restoration and refurbishment of Oxford's New Bodleian Library have been given the green light by the local authority. Oxford City Council (OCC) has approved planning permission and listed building consent for the scheme, which has been put forward by Oxford University's Bodleian Library. Designs drawn up by London-based Wilkinson Eyre Architects aim to create new storage space for the libraries' collection, to support advanced research
Event to design new Hadrian's Wall museum
by Pete Hayman | 25 May 2010
Event Communications has been appointed to design a new visitor attraction at Roman Maryport, Cumbria - part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site. Hadrian's Wall Heritage (HWH) - a non-profit organisation - bought 150 acres (60.7 hectares) of land at Camp Farm in December 2008 for the museum development, which is set to cost £11.5m. Roman Maryport, which is believed to be one of the most important Roman frontiers
£4m Todmorden Town Hall plans approved
by Luke Tuchscherer | 25 May 2010
£4m plans for Todmorden Town Hall in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, have been approved by the borough council's project board. The proposals, drawn up by London-based architects Camillin Denny, include extensive refurbishment of the exterior and interior of the building and turning the basement into a café and heritage exhibition space. They also include shops and meeting rooms, new toilets, a new bar and lifts below an extension to the ballroom
Design group secures Hong Kong contract
by Pete Hayman | 20 May 2010
Leicester-based Haley Sharpe Design (HSD) has been awarded the interpretative planning and exhibit design for a major redevelopment of Hong Kong's Maritime Museum. The group will work as part of a team led by Hong Kong-based P&T Architects on the development, which will cost HK$110m (£9.8m, US$14.1m, €11.4m) and is due for completion in October 2012. Currently at the schematic design stage, the redevelopment will see the attraction move from
Museum of London to reopen
by Tom Walker | 18 May 2010
The Museum of London is nearing completion of its £20m refurbishment which will see the opening of five new galleries. Architects Wilkinson Eyre and the museum's in-house design team have transformed its display spaces. The redesigned museum will feature the City Gallery, a new space housing the Lord Mayor's Coach; The Weston Theatre, a multipurpose space for films and performances which can also be used for corporate events; and the
A new chapter for one of London's oldest buildings
by Martin Nash | 18 May 2010
The scaffolding has finally come down on a major £3m conservation project at Westminster Abbey's Chapter House. The English Heritage-led scheme has seen a team of 20 master carvers and stonemasons cleaning and repairing the weather-worn gargoyles, stone floral friezes, flying buttresses and stained glass windows at what is one of the city's oldest buildings and a meeting place for the early House of Commons. In keeping with both medieval
RAF Museum unveils 'beacon' project
by Pete Hayman | 14 May 2010
The Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum has unveiled plans to develop a new landmark exhibition building dedicated to the Battle of Britain at Hendon, North London. Under the proposals drawn up by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the proposed Battle of Britain Beacon will feature a tapered body and will be 116m (350ft) high - taller than London's Big Ben. The beacon scheme - revealed ahead of the 70th anniversary of
£61m Pompidou-Metz opens
by Luke Tuchscherer | 13 May 2010
Centre Pompidou-Metz, the offshoot of Paris’s famous Pompidou Centre, has opened in France. The 70.8m euro (£60.8m,US$89m) new centre, located in the north eastern city of Metz, is the first provincial branch of the famous art gallery. Owned by Communauté d’Agglomération de Metz Métropole, the building was designed by Japan-based Shigeru Ban Architects (SBA) in partnership with French architect Jean de Gastines. The centre will boast paintings, sculptures, installations, graphic
Expansion planned for LA museum
by Martin Nash | 22 Apr 2010
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is to add a 3.5 acre, USS$30m park - the North Campus - to its site on Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles, US. Scheduled to open in July 2011, North Campus - a collaboration between the museum itself; Jorge de la Cal, AIA, of CO Architects, Don Webb of the Cordell Corporation; and Mia Lehrer + Associates - will increase the visitor
£5.5m Durlston Castle scheme underway
by Pete Hayman | 20 Apr 2010
Dorset-based contractor Greendale Construction has started work on a £5.5m scheme to restore a historic Grade II-listed castle near Swanage. Durlston Castle, situated at the heart of Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve, is set to be returned to full public use as a new visitor centre. The castle, which is due to reopen in summer 2011, will provide a new eastern gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage
English Heritage supports £5.5bn Battersea project
by Luke Tuchscherer | 14 Apr 2010
English Heritage has pledged support for the £5.5bn renovation of London's Battersea Power Station, in a letter to Wandsworth Council. The news will be a welcome boost to Irish developers, Treasury Holdings, who, with their Rafael Viñoly-designed scheme, are the latest in a long line of firms that have tried to rejuvenate the site. The letter said: “As a long-standing 'Building at Risk', we welcome the plans for the reuse
NC Museum of Art to open extension this month
by Tom Walker | 07 Apr 2010
The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, US, will open its 127,000sq ft (11,800sq m) extension to the public on 24 April. The new single-storey building, designed by New York-based Thomas Phifer of Thomas Phifer and Partners, was created specifically to showcase the gallery's permanent collection of more than 5,000 pieces of art spanning antiquity to the present day. Surrounded by sculpture gardens and pools, the expansion project will
OMA wins Quebec museum competition
by Martin Nash | 01 Apr 2010
Netherlands-based The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has won a competition for a major expansion to the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec (MNBAQ) in Quebec, Canada. The 12,000sq m new building, effectively three overlapping boxes, will be situated at the point where downtown Quebec City meets Battlefields Park and form the company's first built project in Canada. The design, led by OMA partners Shohei Sigematsu and Rem Koolhaas in
Contractor appointed for Miami Science Museum
by Luke Tuchscherer | 25 Mar 2010
Contractors have been appointed for the US$275m (£172m, 188m euro) Miami Science Museum in Florida, US. Boston-based Suffolk Construction and San Francisco-based Webcor Builders have been awarded the contracts to develop the museum, which was designed by British firm Grimshaw Architects. The 250,000sq ft museum will boast a 35,000sq ft aquarium, a planetarium and 55,000sq ft of indoor and outdoor exhibition space. It will be part of a new Miami
Budget 2010: small leisure businesses to benefit, alcohol tax up
by Tom Walker | 24 Mar 2010
Small and medium-sized leisure businesses should find it easier to secure bank loans and funding, according to plans outlined by chancellor Alistair Darling in today's budget announcement. The budget - the last by chancellor Alistair Darling before the expected general election in May - will see Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds make £94bn available in business loans. Darling added that "at least half" of this will be made available
£9.25m boost for Giant's Causeway plans
by Pete Hayman | 23 Mar 2010
Plans for the development of a new £18.5m visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, have received a £9.25m boost from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB). The funding announcement comes after the tourism agency reached an agreement with the National Trust (NT), which owns the attraction and plans to enhance the World Heritage Site's visitor experience. Dublin-based architects heneghan.peng are behind the designs for the new visitor centre,
Mayor of London opens new Greenwich attraction
by Martin Nash | 22 Mar 2010
Discover Greenwich, a new £6m cultural centre at the Old Royal Naval College on London's Thames riverside, has been opened by London Mayor, Boris Johnson. The new venue - scheduled to open to the public on 23 March and aiming to attract 1m visitors a year - uses state of the art interpretation techniques, never been seen before historic objects, rare artefacts, film footage and models in permanent and temporary
Jodrell Bank unveils visitor centre plans
by Pete Hayman | 12 Mar 2010
Plans have been submitted to Cheshire East Council (CEC) for the creation of a new discovery centre at the University of Manchester's (UM) Jodrell Bank Observatory. The 'live science' visitor attraction aims to attract thousands of extra visitors to the observatory, showcasing research 'as it happens' and inspire a future generation of young scientists. Jodrell Bank's 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) discover centre will include a Planet Pavilion entrance building, with
US firm to design two landmark Chinese tourism projects
by Martin Nash | 11 Mar 2010
St. Louis, US-based PGAV Destinations has won contracts to undertake the planning and design of Zhuhai Ocean World and the expansion of the Terracotta Warriors Museum, both in China. The Ocean World project is being developed by the Chimelong Group - which operates theme parks, animal safari parks, waterparks, and hotels in Guangzhou's Panyu district - as part of its Hengqin Island Development. When completed it will become the largest
New-look People's History Museum reopens
by Pete Hayman | 09 Mar 2010
A museum exploring the role of working-class people in the development of democracy in Britain from the early 18th century to the present day has officially reopened in Manchester. Unveiled by health secretary and MP for Leigh Andy Burnham, the People's History Museum has benefited from an extensive £12.5m redevelopment project. The attraction boasts 1,384sq m (4,541sq ft) of exhibition space and nearly 1,500 artefacts on display, while a purpose-built
Floods close Madeira Story Centre
by Tom Walker | 23 Feb 2010
The Madeira Story Centre in Funchal, Madeira, has been forced to close due to the heavy flooding on the island. The site, the island's first visitor centre, features exhibition spaces housed in a number of buildings and include a storyline of João Gonçalves Zarco's discovery of the Madeiran archipelago in 1418. The attraction was opened in 2005 by Blandy Group at a cost of around €6.4m (£4.5m. US$8.5m). The construction
More funding for Penarth pier restoration
by Pete Hayman | 26 Jan 2010
Penarth Arts and Crafts (PAC), the organisation behind plans for the £3.9m restoration of a Grade II-listed pier pavilion in Penarth, South Wales, has received additional funding from the Vale of Glamorgan Council (VGC). The council has agreed to contribute a £15,000 grant towards the scheme, following a decision by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) last November to award PAC a first-round pass worth £99,600 to help develop detailed proposals
Gehry pulls out of Israeli museum project
by Martin Nash | 18 Jan 2010
Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz has reported that award-winning architect Frank Gehry is withdrawing from the Museum of Tolerance and Human Dignity project in Jerusalem. The scheme aims to promote tolerance amongst Jewish populations within Israel, including Ashkenazim, Mizrahim, Ethiopians, Russians, and others, and is being sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Foundation, a Jewish human rights organisation. It has attracted controversy because it is being erected on the grounds of an old
Design competition announced for Dundee V&A
by Martin Nash | 12 Jan 2010
An international architectural competition is being launched to deliver a landmark building for The V&A at Dundee, a new centre of 21st century design for Scotland. The structure will occupy a site at the centre of Dundee's redeveloped waterfront area, sitting just to the south of Craig Harbour on a site to be created projecting out into the River Tay. Mike Galloway, Dundee City Council's director of city development said:
Natural History Museum opens restaurant
by Tom Walker | 12 Jan 2010
The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has launched a new 270-seat restaurant. Designed by a partnership involving architects RWCA and interior designers Path Design, the 6,500sq ft restaurant is the third of the Museum's visitor catering zones to be re-vamped in the space of 12 months. To create the eatery, the museum had to obtain a listed building consent as plans included breaking through the original building fabric to
Major expansion scheme for St. Louis art museum
by Martin Nash | 07 Jan 2010
The Saint Louis Art Museum in Missouri, US is to undergo its first major expansion in more than 20 years. Designed by London-based architect David Chipperfield, the expansion - in excess of 200,000sq ft - will provide new galleries, public space and a 300-space underground car park, as well as a new, fully accessible entrance on Fine Arts Drive. The project will result in a 30 percent increase in the
British Museum expansion approved
by Tom Walker | 21 Dec 2009
Camden Council has awarded planning permission to the £135m expansion of the British Museum. The plans received the green light at the second time of trying, after the council turned down an initial application in June 2009. The previous, rejected plans had angered a local conservation group, Bloomsbury Conservation Area Advisory Committee (BCAAC), which claimed the development would block daylight from the existing buildings and "diminish the museum's existing architectural
Work underway on Mary Rose scheme
by Pete Hayman | 15 Dec 2009
Demolition work has started on the Mary Rose Ship Hall in Portsmouth, Hampshire, which is making way for the development of a new £35m museum dedicated to the historic Tudor warship. The ship itself at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was withdrawn from public view on 20 September to allow work to start, which will see a boat-shaped museum building built over the dry dock containing the Mary Rose. A team including
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