The Museum of London has begun procurement for its new facility in West Smithfield, issuing an EOI for the first phase of construction. The £140 million contract for the main redevelopment works across two 1960s buildings is now open for tenders, and the deadline for expressions of interest is the end of May. The museum is expected to be completed by 2024.
The works will include stripping out and structural works, fit-out and façade repair and M&E. The museum plans to move its artefacts from the current location to the nearby intersection of Farringdon Street and Charterhouse Street. The move aims to preserve the historic structures of the current buildings on site, both above and below ground.
The project was first announced in 2015, with a price tag of £150 million, although that figure has now risen to more than £330 million. The new museum is to become one of the top attractions in the city with the expected number of visitors being two million per year. The museum will have space below and above the ground and will contain learning, exhibitions and events space. It will offer a diverse range of activities to attract a broad category of visitors and redefine what a museum means in a traditional sense.
The new museum plans have been well received by the public, with 96 per cent of Londoners in favour of the new project. The plan is devised by the architectural team of Julian Harrap Architects, Stanton Williams and Asif Khan.
The redevelopment contract will run for 30 months, with tenders open until 25th May, with a contractor expected to be announced in August. Construction was planned to start in late 2020, however, due to the spread of COVID-19 the start date for construction may have been pushed back.
Pictures Kindly Supplied by the Museum of London
