The large museum commission is one of the most coveted project types for architects to pursue professionally. The past year alone was further evidence of this age-old ambition, with major cultural sector stories gracing our pages frequently, spearheaded by the new M+ Museum by Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry's LUMA Arles, and the (oft-derided) Munch Museum in Norway from estudio Herreros taking top billing alongside many other superlative designs.

2022 has seen even more major developments in the industry, led by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s decision to replace David Chipperfield with Frida Escobedo as the architect of its new $500 million contemporary wing, the announcement of an important $34 million Tate Liverpool overhaul, and welcomed revival of HdM’s amended Vancouver Art Gallery expansion effort once thought to be long dead.

As Archinect celebrates International Museum Day today, here are a few of the more prominent openings and expansion projects to make their debut this year.

The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, Norway by Klaus Schuwerk

The much-anticipated project from Italian-German architect Klaus Schuwerk will open on June 11th, more than a decade after being named the winner of an international competition to upgrade facilities for the institution located along Oslo’s historic Vestbanen harborfront. Check out Iwan Baan’s recent photos of the project here.

Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney, Australia by SANAA

Touted as the city’s largest cultural development since the dramatic opening of its Opera House nearly 50 years ago, the Sydney Modern Project entails the creation of a new building connected by a public garden and extant beaux-arts structure and will make its public debut on December 3rd.

Museum of the Future in Dubai, UAE by Killa Design

Dubai’s Museum of the Future has opened its doors to the public after nine years of design and construction. Designed by local studio Killa Design, the museum describes itself as a “living laboratory” showcasing exhibitions around the themes of science and technology.

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Expansion in La Jolla, California by Selldorf Architects

Selldorf’s plan incorporated elements of the original structure and mid-90s renovation led by Venturi, Scott Brown into the much-needed 46,400-square-foot expansion of the MCASD's footprint in a considerate way that also strengthened the connection to La Jolla's stunning natural coastline.

House of Music in Budapest, Hungary by Sou Fujimoto Architects

The 97,000-square-foot performance venue is the centerpiece of the Liget Budapest Project, a €1 billion ($1.13 billion) development billed to be one of the biggest in recent European history that includes the music hall, new national art gallery, cultural building, and landscaped areas situated a the center of one of the continent’s historic capitals of music.

Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark by Kengo Kuma and Associates

Set amongst a massive new public park that opened earlier in the fall, Kengo Kuma and Associates’ design for the new H.C.Andersen Hus museum in Odense is a “fantasy world” of interconnected circular forms which give shape to the museum’s more than 60,000 square feet of education centers and subterranean exhibition space.

The Datong Art Museum in Shanxi Province, China by Foster + Partners

The first of four major new buildings in Datong New City’s cultural plaza, Foster + Partners created a centerpiece for the larger venue named the Grand Gallery. The scheme’s four interconnected roof pyramids increase in height and fan outwards towards the four corners of the surrounding plaza. A clerestory between each volume combines with roof lights at the apex of each pyramid to allow natural light to flood the interior during the day, while creating a “unique beacon for the new cultural quarter” at night.

Bundanon Art Museum and Bridge for Creative Learning in New South Wales, Australia by Kerstin Thompson Architects

Designed to be a weather-resilient education center as well as an art museum and retreat destination, the entire development consists of a 5,382-square-foot museum, paddock-to-plate café, an education center, and lodging for up to 64 people. All this is inspired by the art of landscape painter Arthur Boyd, who, together with his wife Yvonne, gifted the property to the Australian people in 1993.

Robot Science Museum in Seoul, South Korea by Melike Altinisik Architects (MAA)

Envisaged as a means to create an institution that "plays a catalytic role in advancing and promoting science, technology, and innovation throughout society," the museum's design and assembly were undertaken through a host of 3D printing and high-tech robotics. The result is a spherical complex of exhibition spaces connected by non-linear wayfinding that helps to define a new area of the city as the heart of Seoul's Changbai New Economic Center.

Museo Arte Contemporaneo Atchugarry (MACA) in Uruguay by Carlos Ott

Marked by facing curvilinear concrete and timber volumes, the new museum rises from the landscape surrounded by a 99-acre sculpture park creating an ark-like profile that contains works taken from the artist’s personal collection. Ott was instrumental in contributing his signature aesthetic to the design of the museum, which the artist praised as creating a seamless transition between the site and nature.