{"id":376724,"date":"2026-04-13T02:47:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/376724\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T02:47:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:47:29","slug":"kengo-kuma-bdp-mica-to-design-new-wing-for-national-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/376724\/","title":{"rendered":"Kengo Kuma, BDP, MICA to design new wing for National Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/a>, BDP<\/a>, and MICA Architects<\/a>, were selected from a shortlist of firms<\/a> to design a major addition to London<\/a>\u2019s National Gallery as part of Project Domani, a $1 billion capital campaign<\/a>, the museum announced today.<\/p>\n

In a statement, architect Kengo Kuma called the commission a \u201chistoric project.\u201d He affirmed the National Gallery\u2019s collection is \u201ca treasure of humanity, and to be entrusted with the expansion that will hold these masterpieces is a responsibility we carry with the greatest care and humility.\u201d<\/p>\n

The addition will extend the National Gallery\u2019s footprint into the St. Vincent House site, a property the museum<\/a> acquired decades ago. The Project Domani competition jury called Kengo Kuma\u2019s submission \u201cexemplary\u201d and gave it the highest possible score.<\/p>\n

\"exteriorThe building becomes more opaque as it rises, in order to provide controlled settings for art display. (Courtesy National Gallery)<\/p>\n

The competition jury was chaired by John Booth, National Gallery Board of Trustees, and included artist C\u00e9line Condorelli, National Gallery director Sir Gabriele Finaldi, architect Lady Patty Hopkins, and others.<\/p>\n

Kuma\u2019s design is defined by its stepped massing clad in Portland stone, a gesture that, per the jury, keeps it \u201crespectful of the Sainsbury Wing galleries\u201d by Venturi Scott Brown, and recently renovated<\/a> by Selldorf Architects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Renderings show the midrise building with transparent finishes at its base. The building becomes more opaque as it rises, in order to provide controlled settings for art display. The Portland stone facade is striated, casting dynamic shadow lines.<\/p>\n

\"publicThe winning design features an expansive public rooftop. (Courtesy National Gallery)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thoughtful design of the external spaces, with links to Leicester Square, evokes an open visitor welcome which is further enhanced using Portland stone and stepped massing,\u201d the jury noted, \u201cwhich shows sensitivity to the surrounding streets and allows natural light to be drawn into the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

The competition jury said, in regard to the interiors, the \u201cstyle of the galleries is very simple and clean, with a contrast between the main floor that incorporates vaults and arches, while the upper floor has a more geometric design.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

An expansive rooftop lined with plants, ideal for peering out at the city beyond, is included in the ensemble.<\/p>\n

The National Gallery launched<\/a> Project Domani in 2025. Kengo Kuma and Associates\u00a0was subsequently shortlisted<\/a> that December.<\/p>\n

The winning team ultimately beating out submissions by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Piercy & Company, Foster + Partners, Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Adamson Associates, Selldorf Architects and Purcell, and Studio Seilern Architects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kengo Kuma and Associates, BDP, and MICA Architects, were selected from a shortlist of firms to design a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376725,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-376724","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}