National Gallery Competition and David Kohn Architects
The Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery, London (facing Trafalgar Square) - courtesy National Gallery.
David Kohn Architects has been shortlisted in an open international competition to refurbish the Grade 1 Listed Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery.
The project is timed to coincide with the gallery's bicentenary in 2024 and includes a range of upgrades to the Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown designed wing along with improvements to public spaces surrounding the wider museum.
The other five shortlisted teams for the Sainsbury Wing project are led by Asif Kan, Caruso St John, David Chipperfield, Selldorf Architects and Witherford Watson Mann.
Future Cities Forum will be running its summer 'Cultural Cities' event in June with Lord Mendoza, Commissioner for Cultural Recovery at the DCMS.
The event will look at the future for museums and cultural organisations in cities as they open again post lockdown and how public realm can provide an extended environment for public art experiences. It will also consider the move to create more cultural attractions for struggling high streets in the UK.
At our March 2021 forum on culture and cities, Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool described the important project to transform the city's waterfront as part of a 'decade of change'. It identified designers who could create pedestrian links to Canning Dock, whilst also bringing to life multiple buildings as part of a 10-year master plan for the dock area.
The highlight of the building transformations will be the redevelopment of the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Building - formerly the Dock Traffic Office - which stands as a focal point of the Royal Albert Dock and which will provide a dynamic and prominent entrance to the city's International Slavery Museum (SM) as part of the plans.
Laura said:
'The public realm between the Royal Albert Dock and Mann Island represents a huge opportunity for development and this project will be a big step towards the public and our communities to share, enjoy and engage with its incredibly rich heritage.'