An important update has been issued to one of the most-watched cultural projects in the UK this afternoon after Selldorf Architects released their initial plans for the redesigned Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery of Art in London.

The firm was tapped in July to lead a multidisciplinary design team that includes Purcell, Vogt Landscape, and Arup.

As part of a public consultation phase that was unveiled today, the firm put forth its NG200 proposal for the overhauled award-winning Venturi, Scott Brown building, which is meant to increase accessibility in advance of the museum’s upcoming bicentenary celebration. 

The initial batch of renderings appears to show a more opened-up foyer that welcomes visitors from a revamped entrance and newly-created public realm leading into Trafalgar Square. Improved lighting and wayfinding are to be emphasized throughout, including a new walking path meant to connect the 1991 wing to the older Wilkins Building, which will house a new research center and member’s house once all is said and done. 

The plans also feature improved pedestrian pathways leading from Trafalgar to nearby Leicester Square via the Jubilee Walk. The area outside the museum buildings is perhaps even more important than the more visible interior changes. The project page stated that the exact details of this side of the scheme are still being explored but will likely include improvements to the visual links of each building, the re-planting of trees that once existed along the square’s northern edge, and the reassessment of a yet-unused back-of-house area, among several others. 

“With millions of visitors each year, it’s vital that we future-proof our buildings and reinvigorate the public realm immediately surrounding them,” National Gallery director Gabriele Finaldi said in a statement published in AJ. “Underpinning these proposals is a concrete desire to build the foundations of the gallery’s future, consolidating our role as the nation’s art gallery.”

The renovations will all fall under the auspices of the museum’s longstanding decarbonization efforts, which to date, have produced a 42% savings. The museum says the renovation will be completed by mid-2024. Archinect will share more project updates as they become available.