Lebanese Architect Wins Bid to Redesign Significant Portion of the British Museum

The British institution is about to get a Lebanese touch

Beirut-born architect Lina Ghotmeh has just won a prestigious competition to redesign a significant portion of the British Museum. Ghotmeh’s Paris-based firm has triumphed in a two-stage architectural competition to redesign the museum’s Western Range galleries, encompassing 35% of the world-renowned institution.

Ghotmeh won the two-stage and nine-month international competition thanks to her archaeological approach to architectural design. She came out on top of 60 teams competing for the bid in front of a judging panel of 10 architects, alongside the museum’s Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan and Chair George Osbourne. Ghotmeh will renovate one third of the historic museum’s space. With sustainability and an emphasis on using natural materials at the heart of the project, Ghotmeh was praised for looking at the building’s past to reimagine the story of its future. “Lina Ghotmeh is an architect of extraordinary grace and gravitas”, says Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum, “Her team’s proposals demonstrated an exceptional and materially sensitive architectural vision for the British Museum, and their ‘archaeological’ approach clearly understood the ambition for this project to be as much an intellectual transformation as an architectural one.”

As one of five finalists, Ghotmeh’s concept designs were exhibited in the Reading Room at the British Museum in December 2024. The wider team also includes Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, as well as a number of architects. The competition was not about finding the final architectural design but the best team to work with. As one of the finalist’s, Ghotmeh and her firm participated in workshops to test their ability to work collaboratively with the museum. As such, Ghotmeh’s final design is expected to be shared by mid-2026.

Ghotmeh’s proposals focus on materials and sustainability that pool light into the space, providing a centralised exhibition space, tiered balconies and arched openings. Her involvement with the Museum comes during a critical time in its history as the British institution is plagued with political issues, particularly over de-acquisition of objects, many of which - like the Elgin Marbles - are part of the Western Range. They are also recovering from a scandal which saw a curator steal and subsequently sell more than 1,000 objects on eBay. While these problems are not directly related to Ghotmeh, it will be interesting to see if she is able to respond to these concerns at all when her final concept design is revealed next year.

Aside from the question of politics, Ghotmeh will be contributing to the legacy of a building and institution steeped in history for generations to come. Given the size of the project, her involvement in shaping the future of such a museum is significant. And, at just 44, the American University of Beirut graduate was the youngest person leading an architectural team within the competition. “When we moved into our current building 200 years ago the world was wowed”, said George Osbourne, Chairman of the British Museum and Chair of the Judging Panel, “I believe they will be wowed again when this transformation of our great sculpture galleries, and much more, is complete.”

Model submitted by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture for competition

“My team and I are thrilled to embark on this journey for the renovation of the Western Range of the British Museum”, says Ghotmeh, “I am looking forward to continuing this rich and collaborative process as we work towards transforming this section of the Museum into an extraordinary space - a place of connections for the world and of the world.” This is a significant statement about diversification, especially given how cosmopolitan London is as a city built off the backs of immigrants. It is promising to see this beginning to be reflected and rewarded through fair integration. This is especially important given that much of the British Museum’s collection is from cultures foreign to Britain.

Ghotmeh’s previous work includes the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion in London, as well as the Estonian National Museum in Tartu, the competition for which she won at just 25. She has also won and been nominated for major architectural awards including the Mies Van der Rohe Award 2017 and the Architecture Project of the Year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards for her Beirut-based Stone Garden.