How do you create a new home to house iconic and innovative design? With eyes on the final outcome, and with everyone waiting to see the unveiling of one of the most anticipated buildings this decade, we think that John Pawson, OMA, Arup, and Allies & Morrison have risen to the challenge of transforming a grade II listed building into the new home of the Design Museum.

Yesterday was the preview of the new Design Museum in Kensington. Archinect UK was delighted to have been invited to see the grand unveiling of the building, and to get our feet inside the transformed Commonwealth Centre. The sheer gravity of the main space is enough to make this an incredible building, but, as we learn more, experience more, and see how it completely engages the user, we realise that this is a project that really doesn’t disappoint.

The Design Museum was founded almost three decades ago in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, and only closed at its previous space in June of this year, to make preparations for the move. The relocation to Kensington was a decision made to increase space and to become part of the cultural quarter, alongside the Science Museum, V&A, Natural History Museum, and the Royal College of Art. This new home provides more than three times the space, exactly 10,000sqm, of which almost a quarter is the oak, which so softly characterises the project. Following its reopening, the Design Museum expects over 650,000 yearly visitors to the landmark.

The £83m development will officially open its doors to the public on 24th November, with interesting exhibitions including ‘Beazley Designs of the Year’ and ‘Fear and Love’. These will also be joined by a permanent collection, ‘Designer Maker User’, which will be the Design Museum’s first free-entry display, opening up the institution to all members of the public.

Director of the Design Museum, Deyan Sudjuc, along with Conran, expressed their excitement over this new chapter of the institution:

“This project is important not just for the museum, but for the investment in the creative future that it represents. The Design Museum sees design as borderless, international … and a vital means of understanding the world around us.”

Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum

Throughout the project, word leading designers, manufacturers, patrons, and engineers have joined forces to create a new home for design. This partnership could not be more appropriate; an institution which values good design to be designed by such incredible firms. The restoration of the concrete roof and facade was completed by OMA, Allies & Morrison, and Arup, using a collective and impressive knowledgebase to tackle such a tricky restoration. Known by many locals as the ex-Commonwealth Institute building, designed by Robert Matthew, Johnson Marshall & Partners, the building is characterised by its sweeping roof, completed in 1962, and saved in 2007 from demolition with this project. Restoring the fundamental shell of this building, and preserving the history, is a merit to the firms involved in the project.

“London is the design capitol of the world. … London’s visionary talent has consistently led the world with its ingenuity and invention. "

Sadiq Khan, London’s Mayor, on the creation of the new Design Museum’s home.

The most striking, inspiring design can be found beneath the external envelope, in the sleek, atmospheric interior, designed by John Pawson. Known for his keen eye for detail and expert use of materials, the choice to appoint him was informed by both the OJEU process and his impressive design portfolio, following the selection process, which had 100 architects on the longlist alone. The use of the ‘doomed’ grade II listed building in Kensington, instead of finding a new site elsewhere, highlights a particular attitude towards design, showing how good design can last the test of time, and perhaps reflecting some of the ecological values of the individuals behind this project.

“There are ‘moments’ in the building that I relish every time I walk around, but I think it is really the way everything comes together - the new and the old - that gives me the greatest pleasure. I hope the design museum shows people that you don't have to tear down and start from scratch to make exciting new cultural spaces. "

John Pawson, speaking of his work on the building.

Internal views which span floors, the incredible attention to detail (especially within these ‘moments’), and the innovative remodelling of the existing, is what sets this building apart. The new major temporary gallery spaces will hold exhibitions on design for years to come, with an additional permanent collection display will be free of charge. On site, a restaurant looks over Holland Park, and is joined by other amenities including studios, a library and archives, and incredible new learning facilities which will support future generations in their passion and understanding of design.

“We unanimously selected John Pawson as we felt he was able to bring an old building back to life in the gentlest way, not compromising the original building but able to adapt it for a modern museum.” –

Deyan Sudjic, on the selection of interior architect
 

The Design Museum, with its focus on celebrating good designs, and the people who create them, will open on the 24th November to the public, with Fear and Love, Designer Maker User and Beazley Designs of the Year 

Read more about the Design Museum here:

• Design Museum sells Thames-side home to architect Zaha Hadid
• “The Future Is Here: A New Industrial Revolution” Coming to London’s Design Museum
• 'Adopt an Object' campaign announced by London's Design Museum

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