A black and white view of the Egyptian sculpture gallery of the British Museum from about 1923.

Past exhibition

Rethinking the British Museum

Exhibition / 19 December 2024 – 06 March 2025

See current exhibitions

Past exhibition

19 December 2024 – 2 March 2025

Reading Room

See current exhibitions

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We are delighted to announce that we have appointed Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture (LG—A), led by the multi award-winning Lina Ghotmeh, to redesign our Western Range galleries. 

These galleries represent over a third of our display space, and house the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures and the Assyrian lion hunt.

From over 60 entrants, the Museum invited five internationally-acclaimed teams to take part in a two-stage architectural competition. LG—A's bold vision for the galleries was then displayed in the newly reopened Reading Room.

The French-Lebanese architect Ghotmeh likens each new project to an archaeological dig, looking at a building's past to support the reimagination and 'story' of its future, with sustainability at its heart and a close observance to the use of natural materials. The Museum is excited to work with the LG—A-led team to rethink the Museum's building, which will be an ambitious transformation of the gallery spaces, public areas and back-of-house facilities.

The British Museum Masterplan

  • Aerial view of the British Museum site at Bloomsbury, showing the main façade of the building and surrounding area.

    The Masterplan

    As one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects ever, the Masterplan will transform the British Museum for the 21st century.
  • Aerial view of the British Museum and surrounding street, most of which has been greyed out except for a large section of the building on the right, outlined in red.

    Redevelopment of the Western Range

    Redeveloping one third of the Museum and reimagining how the collection is displayed will transform the Museum for future generations.
  • Elevated view looking down on the BM_ARC site, showing three main blocks which form the building surrounded by grass turf as well as nearby buildings and roads.

    BM_ARC

    A purpose-built research space and collection storage facility that protects objects while making them readily available for study.
  • Graphic rendition of the British Museum site showing three new buildings outlined in blue which form the Energy Centre.

    Energy Centre Programme

    A new sustainable Energy Centre will phase out the use of fossil fuels at the Museum and pave the way to net zero.

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