London studio Niall McLaughlin Architects has released visuals of The Museum of Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan, which will be constructed using local skills and materials, including rammed earth and stone.
Scheduled to open in 2030, the low-lying museum will sit close to the Baptism Site on the east bank of the Jordan River – where Jesus of Nazareth is believed to have been baptised by John the Baptist – and explore the history of Christian baptism.
Its opening is set to coincide with the bimillennial anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ.
Niall McLaughlin Architects has designed The Museum of Jesus’ Baptism
The Museum of Jesus’ Baptism has been commissioned by the local non-profit Foundation for the Development of the Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site.
Niall McLaughlin Architects is designing it as part of a team including landscape studio Kim Wilkie Landscape and exhibition designer Nissen Richards Studio.
According to the team, the proposal nods to Jordan’s vernacular architecture and will be constructed with low-carbon materials, including local stone and regional rammed-earth techniques, to pay respect to the adjacent UNESCO-listed site.
It will be dedicated to the history of Christian baptism
“The challenge of the design was to find a way to allow the architecture to mediate between a charged landscape and the sacred narratives that arose within it,” said the design team.
“It demanded a building that could work with allegory. At the same time, the project needed to use local labor, skills, and resources to achieve something with a sense of social responsibility and low carbon expenditure,” it continued.
“We now look forward to working with the foundation to develop the design in dialogue with enthusiastic local and international experts. We relish the opportunity to learn more about this beautiful country.”
The studio will utilise local rammed-earth construction techniques
Niall McLaughlin Architects’ design was the winning entry of a six-month invited competition, led by organiser Malcolm Reading Consultants.
Seven studios were competing, with the others being Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, Heneghan Peng Architects, Studio Anne Holtrop, AAU Anastas, Toshiko Mori Architect and Trahan Architects.
A water feature will nod to the Jordan River
“We congratulate Niall McLaughlin’s team on their proposal, which excels in telling the story of baptism – highlighting its power to offer spiritual renewal and new life,” said chair of the foundation’s board Tharwat Almasalha.
“This proposal responds sensitively to the luminous setting in the wilderness and the adjacent UNESCO site,” he added. “Though modest in size and form, the design has exceptional resonance: it will be attuned to human and divine connections.”
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The Museum of Jesus’ Baptism will be built on an east-west axis, with visitors entering the partly submerged volume from the east via “an arid wilderness garden”.
Inside, visitors will pass by a water feature that symbolises the Jordan River, before exiting into the “light and a fruitful paradise garden”. According to the team, the landscape will priortise use of native plant species.
The building will look out onto a public square and be crowned by a rooftop viewpoint overlooking the Baptism Site and the river.
“A fruitful paradise garden” will be designed by Kim Wilkie Landscape
Inside, the exhibition designs by Nissen Richards Studio will include immersive displays with “variation in light, sound and material”, the team said.
While it will be dedicated to the Christian tradition of baptism, it is hoped to be inclusive to all people as a space for learning and reflection.
The project forms part of a wider masterplan called the Baptism Development Zone (BDZ) – a 140-hectare project designed to improve the pilgrimage experience to the site. Alongside the museum, it is set to include a hotel and spiritual centre to accommodate more than 400,000 visitors each year.
Niall McLaughlin Architects’ founder, Irish architect Niall McLaughlin, was recently named the recipient of the 2026 Royal Gold Medal. In an interview with Dezeen, he explained that the focus of his work is creating meaningful architecture.
Elsewhere in Jordan, BIG is currently developing a masterplan involving the refurbishment of country’s only port to transform it into a hub for the local community.
The visuals are courtesy of Niall McLaughlin Architects.