Designs for the new Museum of London building at Smithfield have been revealed.
The museum is due to take up residence in the old West Smithfield market building in 2024, and plans for redeveloping the existing structure have been put together by architectural team Stanton Williams and Asif Khan with Julian Harrap Architects.
The plans make use of space both above and below ground, offering more room to display exhibits, which range from fashion items to fatbergs.
Newly-released mock-up images show ample light and airy spaces, making use of the building's high ceilings and central dome. Existing features, including metal girders and beams, have been left in situ, utilised for the hanging of banners and other artefacts.
The designs go on public display from Friday 5 July in an exhibition within the currently derelict West Smithfield site, and another at the Museum's London Wall home.
Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said:
The new Museum of London will transform what a museum should be... As people will see from our latest design concepts, it will be a totally porous space available night and day to welcome all of London’s visitors. We’ll showcase the London Collection, our 7 million objects, and tell the story of London and Londoners in some of the best examples of British architecture in the city.
The museum has a fundraising target of £70m and has already raised £26.5m. It is expected that a planning application will be submitted by the end of 2019, and that the new museum building will open in 2024.
