I met Lina Ghotmeh in the middle of the Estonian forest at the very beginning of her career, when she was one of three young and hungry architects who won a competition to design the National Museum of Estonia. I was immediately impressed; she exhibited a calm confidence and a clarity of mind that signaled a long and successful career ahead. Lina has clearly not disappointed, as evidenced by her recent win of the commission to redesign a major portion of the British Museum. To be able to win any of the global competitions that our industry calls for is no small feat—to have won more than one, as Lina has, is a true sign of staying power. When I look at her work, I see simplicity combined with a strong-­willed boldness, and a respect for tradition with a contemporary twist. She has a knack for embracing history in her designs. I’m looking forward to seeing her reimagine the labyrinthine galleries of an institution as historical as the British Museum.

Ingels is an architect