The first phase of the competition, launched by the British Museum in May 2024, attracted more than 60 entries to rethink the spaces of the Western Range, the area which covers more than 15,000 square metres and accounts for a third of the museum's total exhibition space. Today there are only five possible candidates to work on one of the most important museums in the world: 6a Architects, David Chipperfield Architects, Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects, Lina Ghotmeh - Architecture and OMA. 

George Osborne, President of the British Museum, said: 'We asked for the best of the architectural community to step forward to help – and they have, from Britain and across the world. The shortlist we’ve chosen mixes renowned experience with exciting new voices"

The museum has a long history: since its first version in the early 1800s, it has undergone numerous extensions, renovations and upgrades, most recently the Great Court's glazed roof, designed by Domus 2024 guest editor Norman Foster. 

The complex of spaces that make up the Western Range vary in size, aesthetic and age, from the original 1850s buildings designed by Robert Smirke to later additions such as Galleries 10 and 22. Whoever wins the competition will be required to undertake a comprehensive upgrade to meet contemporary performance standards, while respecting the permanence of significant historic elements.

An exhibition of the finalists' designs will be held in the famous Round Reading Room at the end of the year, but we won't know the outcome of the competition until early 2025.