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Museum of London seeking architect for Smithfield museum

It has been announced that Museum of London have appointed Malcolm Reading Consultants to manage the hunt for an architect to design a new museum in the City of London.

The UK-based consultancy firm, who are an independent organiser of architectural competitions, will lead the search for an architect with a two stage competition, which will be funded through a £200k grant from the Mayor of London and launched in February. The eventual winner will be announced in the summer.

The winning architect of the West Smithfield International Design Competition will be tasked with turning the approximately 25,000 sq m site, which comprises the vacant Smithfield General Market, Fish Market and the Red House, into a new museum by 2021.

It is hoped the proposed museum will become a major new cultural destination in the historical West Smithfield area in the City of London.

The news comes after Smithfield Market returned to City of London ownership this month.

Following the announcement, Sharon Ament, Director of Museum of London, said: “Now that the City of London Corporation has acquired the leasehold, we can move forward with growing confidence to create a new museum in West Smithfield.

“The next step is to select the best possible architects to take on this challenging and exciting brief. So the search is about to begin to find world class, outstanding and inspiring architects who will deliver a design which combines stunning modern vision for a new museum with West Smithfield’s sensitive heritage.”

Mark Boleat, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee at the City of London Corporation added: “Smithfield is one of the most architecturally and historically important areas of the City. Therefore it is absolutely crucial for the Museum of London to find an architect who will be mindful of Smithfield’s heritage and propose designs which will enhance the area.

“This is an exciting challenge for any architect. I have every confidence that the Museum of London will be able to pick from the best in the field to find the right team for the job.”