MICA Architects appointed to The National Gallery's Project Domani

Image: artist's impression of Project Domani, courtesy of Kin Creatives

Future Cities Forum member MICA has been appointed to help design The National Gallery's new wing, in London, part of the museum’s £750 million Project Domani, in the largest and most significant transformation of the National Gallery since its formation 200 years ago, The lead architect will be Kengo Kuma Associates.

The National Gallery has reported:

'It will redefine the National Gallery for the next century, creating new spaces to house an expanded collection, building an acquisitions fund for modern paintings, while also ensuring the Gallery’s long-term financial sustainability through a robust endowment.

'The new wing will be built on the site of the last remaining part of the National Gallery’s current campus: St Vincent House. The property was acquired nearly 30 years ago, for the purpose of expanding gallery space, and currently houses a hotel and office complex.  

'Project Domani also includes the move to extend its historic collection beyond 1900, making it the only museum in the world which exclusively displays paintings, where visitors will be able to view the entire history of painting in the Western tradition.

 'The Gallery launched an international architectural competition for a new wing to house its expanded collection in September 2025. The judges of the National Gallery's Project Domani competition commented:

'The design is both innovative and beautiful, meeting the ambition and sensitivity required for an international gallery commission. It is respectful of the Sainsbury Wing galleries... and the approach to the public realm and roof garden creates a generous presence, enhanced by trees and greenery.

'The 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, which shows sensitivity to the surrounding streets and allows natural light to be drawn into the building.'

MICA Architects has a long tradition of working on cultural buildings and districts, including The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

MICA las described the Oxford project:

The Ashmolean Museum, established in 1683, is the oldest museum in Britain. The new building is attached to the rear of the Greek revival building by Charles Robert Cockerell, built in 1845 as The University Galleries. The Ashmolean Museum relocated its collection to the extended University Galleries in 1894 and in 1908 combined to become The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, under the keepership of the renowned archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.

Its collections are among the most varied and extensive in the country. It possesses the most important collection of pre-Dynastic Egyptian material outside Cairo, the only great collection of Minoan antiquities outside Heraklion, the largest and most important collection of Raphael drawings in the world and the greatest Anglo Saxon collections outside the British Museum.

The new scheme involved the removal of the poor existing Victorian buildings behind the Cockerell building-built to house a rapidly growing collection under Evans, and later piecemeal accretions. These combined to give a very confusing route for the museum visitor.

The building now has six storeys, with a floor area of 9000m², 4000m² of which provides 100 per cent more display space. In addition to the new display space a new entrance from St Giles, and an Education Centre, Conservation studios and loading bay have also been created. The new museum space is built to modern standards, using an environmentally aware and efficient servicing strategy. The building is organised by two major axes established by Cockerell, creating a clear route throughout the building and unifying the entire museum and collection in a coherent manner.

MICA has also been working for Ashford Borough Council to develop ambitious plans for St Marys Fields, which will help to rejuvenate Ashford Town centre. A strategic project within wider town centre plans, the development will deliver cultural and performance space, over 200 homes and a significant quantum of public realm and landscape. St Mary’s Fields promises to help rejuvenate the town by enhancing its day and night-time cultural offer, bring new residents into the town centre and attract further investment for the benefit of local communities.

It says:

'Our approach embraces the challenge of embedding a design into its context; in developing a robust framework that respects key routes, reinforces existing street edges, and creates new spaces for both new and existing communities, and reflects the existing local character, identity, and culture of Ashford. Bringing the town centre into the site is a driving principle behind opening up views to local landmarks and enhancing links to the High Street through improved pedestrian connections.'

The redevelopment of The Maltings is another project of MICA's with full planning permission granted and set to redefine the cultural heart of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

It explains:

'Part-funded by the Government’s Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal and Northumberland County Council, the redevelopment will create a dynamic, year-round destination that anchors Berwick’s culture-led regeneration and brings lasting economic, social, and artistic benefits to the region.

'Designed by MICA a leading architectural team in collaboration with theatre consultants Charcoalblue, engineersHRW and Max Fordham, and The Maltings’ operational leadership, the approved scheme delivers a bold new vision—preserving Berwick’s distinctive heritage while embracing innovation and sustainability.'

Image: view to main frontage of the National Gallery and St Martin-in-the-Fields church from Trafalgar Square (courtesy Future Cities Forum)