Museum of London, London,
UK, 2016

The brief to create a new home for the Museum of London involved transforming the Grade II-listed General Market complex in Smithfields. We proposed restoring the market’s silhouette by ‘reconstructing’ its corner tower as a landmark for the new museum.

The existing market buildings are treated in a way that goes ‘beyond repair’: surfaces and structures are inscribed with narratives of the past and present and used to bring to life the previous lives of these spaces and to link them with the building’s new purpose as a public institution.

The permanent and temporary exhibitions occupy the array of subterranean spaces, juxtaposing the museum’s collections and the physicality of the market spaces to create a unique visitor experience. The adjacent Annex Market and the Red House are joined by a new building that gives visibility to the museum’s administration and research centre.

In collaboration with Diener & Diener, East Architecture and Graphic Thought Facility.