Pavilions are architecture’s fast, experimental structures that test ideas long before they scale up to cities. This year’s highlights push that spirit further, blurring the lines between sculpture, shelter, ritual space, and ecological device. From bamboo vaults rising in flood-prone villages to inflatable dream temples, from wind-driven feather structures on remote islands to LEGO-built playscapes in London, the pavilion becomes a tool for storytelling.

Across the ten projects, a set of shared themes emerges: material reinvention, circular design, and a renewed focus on community. Bread waste becomes structure, bamboo becomes climate infrastructure, and woven rattan becomes a water-harvesting system. Some pavilions introduce new behaviors, gathering, dreaming, resting, learning, while others revive old rituals like bathing or communal reading. What ties them together is their willingness to ask what a temporary space can do, and how it can shift our relationship to place, resources, and each other. Here are ten pavilions reshaping how we think about space.

LINA GHOTMEH’S EXPO PAVILION TAKES GOLD IN OSAKA

image courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture

Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture designs the Bahrain Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, crafting a timber-and-aluminum structure inspired by the nation’s traditional dhow boats and its long maritime history. Positioned along the waterfront in the Expo’s Empowering Lives zone, the pavilion bridges Bahraini boat-building heritage with Japanese wood craftsmanship, expressing cultural exchange through material and form. The structure reinterprets millennia-old construction techniques with a lightweight wooden frame, an aluminum outer layer, and passive cooling strategies that reduce mechanical energy use.

Designed for disassembly and reuse after the Expo, the pavilion embodies Bahrain’s commitment to sustainability and craft-driven innovation. The structure received the Gold Award for Best Architecture and Landscape in the Self-Built category, recognizing Ghotmeh’s precise, contextual approach and the pavilion’s refined expression of Bahrain’s cultural and environmental heritage.

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SIR PETER COOK’S LEGO PLAY PAVILION FOR THE SERPENTINE

The Play Pavilion, designed by Peter Cook (Peter Cook Studio Crablab), in collaboration with Serpentine and the LEGO Group © Peter Cook (Peter Cook Studio Crablab) | images courtesy of Serpentine; photos by Andy Stagg, unless stated otherwise

Serpentine and the LEGO Group’s Play Pavilion by Sir Peter Cook, installed in London’s Kensington Gardens, is a bright, bowl-shaped structure wrapped in orange and animated with LEGO-built topographies. The exterior walls of the pavilion rise and dip like a shifting landscape, inviting visitors to touch the tactile brick formations before stepping inside.

Sunlight filters through gaps between the roof and base, filling the interior with natural light while maintaining a breezy, open feel. A towering central pillar, assembled from LEGO bricks, anchors the space like a watchful robotic figure. Visitors are encouraged to play, build, and modify the pavilion in real time through an interactive brick wall and a trove of LEGO pieces. Multiple openings frame views of the garden, while a yellow slide offers a playful exit route.

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SIX-SEAT FOREST BAR PAVILION BY ELMGREEN & DRAGSET 

images by Andrea Rossetti, courtesy of Khao Yai Art

Elmgreen & Dragset unveil K-BAR, a six-seat cocktail pavilion tucked deep within Thailand’s Khao Yai Art Forest, inserting an urban typology into a remote natural setting. Appearing most days as a charcoal-gray sculptural object amid dense foliage, the pavilion occasionally comes to life: visitors arriving at the right moment are guided through the forest to find the bar glowing from within.

Inside, stainless steel surfaces, dark wood, red leather stools, terrazzo flooring, and a backlit display channel the intimacy of classic metropolitan bars. A permanently installed 1996 painting by Martin Kippenberger, visible even when the bar is closed, anchors the installation, paying homage to the artist’s legacy and echoing Elmgreen & Dragset’s long-standing interest in ‘denials,’ functional forms that resist predictable use.

Open only once a month, K-BAR plays with visibility, access, and displacement, placing a European artwork in a Southeast Asian forest as a subtle inversion of museum repatriation debates. As part of the newly launched Khao Yai Art Forest, the pavilion underscores the initiative’s mission to merge contemporary art with ecological immersion, offering an unexpected moment of encounter in one of Thailand’s most pristine environments.

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LEOPOLD BANCHINI INSTALLS TIMBER BATHHOUSE IN SPAIN

image by Gregori Civera

Leopold Banchini Architects installs Round About Baths at the Concéntrico Festival in Logroño, Spain, transforming the center of a traffic roundabout into a temporary public bathhouse. The circular timber structure reclaims an overlooked urban void, introducing cold-water basins, steam rooms, and changing areas that revive the communal spirit of historic public baths.

Built with a standard timber frame and clad in uncut wooden panels intended for reuse, the pavilion emphasizes material efficiency and circularity. High perimeter walls provide privacy while clearly marking the intervention within the car-dominated landscape, prompting visitors to reconsider how urban land is allocated and who it serves. By situating a shared bathing environment at the heart of a vehicular crossroads, Round About Baths challenges conventional urban hierarchies and highlights the potential of underutilized spaces. Once dismantled, the site returns to its previous state, but the project leaves behind a conceptual proposal.

read more here 

TOGUNA WORLD’S NOMADIC PAVILION LANDS IN ATHENS

all images courtesy of Toguna World

Toguna World’s immersive nomadic pavilion, The Sanctuary of Dreams, combines film, ritual, and collective storytelling within an inflatable structure presented as part of Plásmata 3 | We’ve met before, haven’t we? in Athens. Rooted in African philosophies of cyclical time and ancestral memory, the space invites visitors to enter barefoot and step into a meditative environment where a 44-minute, three-channel art film brings together animation, collage, soundscapes, and archival textures.

After the screening, participants join a guided reflection circle, contributing their visions to The Global Mapping of Dreams, a growing archive of future imaginaries from across Africa and its diaspora. Designed by Pierre-Christophe Gam, the pavilion functions as a contemporary ritual space, featuring dimmable lighting, scent, modular cushions, and spatial audio that shape an intimate environment for collective visioning. 

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MERO STUDIOS BUILDS A PAVILION FROM 780 LEFTOVER BAGUETTES

all images by Paul Kozlowski

MERO Studios builds Paysage de Pain, a public pavilion made from 780 salvaged baguettes, turning surplus bread into a tactile, aromatic structure within the courtyard of Montpellier’s Hôtel de Lunas. Developed with the nonprofit Pain de L’Espoir, the installation reframes food waste as a spatial material, highlighting the staggering amount of unsold bread discarded daily in France.

Visitors move through warm, dough-scented walls that crack and age under the sun, transforming the pavilion into a living metaphor for nourishment, excess, and decay. Through its texture, smell, and temporal fragility, Paysage de Pain becomes a sensory monument to resourcefulness.

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FEATHER-BLADE SEASIDE PAVILION SWAYS ON CHAISHAN ISLAND 

image by Liang Wenjun

GN Architects’ Seaside Pavilion brings new life to the abandoned pier of Chaishan Island, introducing a wind-driven structure whose long white blades sway gently above the water. Designed as part of the Hello, Island revitalization initiative, the pavilion acts as a symbolic arrival point, a contemporary echo of traditional village entrances where large trees once anchored community gatherings.

Suspended from a prefabricated steel frame, 36 seven-meter blades move with the sea breeze, creating a rhythmic, feather-like choreography that mirrors the quiet landscape of the island. The installation repurposes the old cargo pier into a resting and meeting place for the elderly residents. Built with corrosion-resistant materials and high-strength fishing ropes for durability, the pavilion balances engineering precision with a sense of lightness. Its movement shifts from subtle to visible depending on the wind, transforming the site into a landmark that reconnects Chaishan’s past, present, and future through motion and placemaking.

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MARINA TABASSUM’S 2025 SERPENTINE PAVILION OPENS IN LONDON

Serpentine Pavilion 2025 A Capsule in Time, designed by Marina Tabassum, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA). exterior view. © Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA) | image by Iwan Baan, courtesy of Serpentine

Marina Tabassum Architects’ A Capsule in Time was the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion, a modular timber structure that explores impermanence, light, and temporality within London’s Kensington Gardens. Composed of four translucent capsules aligned with Serpentine South’s historic bell tower, the pavilion filters daylight into shifting patterns, echoing the hydrologic landscapes of Bangladesh, where land continually forms, dissolves, and reappears.

A kinetic capsule allows sections of the pavilion to expand for public programs, while a ginkgo tree anchors the interior as a living symbol of resilience. Built entirely from wood and translucent polycarbonate, materials chosen for their reuse potential, the project embraces dry construction and adaptability, ensuring the pavilion continues its life beyond the summer season. Integrated bookshelves house a curated selection of texts spanning Bengali literature, ecology, and identity, including works banned in Bangladesh. Tabassum frames the pavilion as a place of quiet resistance and shared knowledge, offering a contemplative environment where ideas can circulate freely. 

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BAMBOO PAVILION ANCHORS YASMEEN LARI’S PONO VILLAGE

all images courtesy of Nyami Studio

Nyami Studio and Jack Rankin complete the Juliet Center in Sindh, Pakistan, a bamboo pavilion that anchors Yasmeen Lari’s zero-carbon Pono Village, a prototype community built in response to the devastating 2022 floods. The lightweight vaulted structure is shaped from bamboo, mud, lime, and thatch, translating vernacular forms into a modular, climate-resilient space designed for communal use. The pavilion offers an open, flexible environment for workshops, gatherings, and training programs, supporting Lari’s mission to empower local residents, particularly women, through hands-on construction and craft skills.

Two interlocking vaults span widely without internal columns, creating a breathable interior that can be adapted or expanded as the village evolves. Built using a combination of digital precision and traditional techniques, the project demonstrates how low-carbon materials can achieve structural complexity and durability in extreme climates. Hand-made mud tiles line the floor, and a woven thatch roof of locally harvested grass provides protection from heat and monsoon rains. 

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RAD+AR BUILDS WOVEN-BAMBOO CHICKEN COOP IN JAKARTA 

images courtesy of RAD+ar

RAD+ar designs the Chicken Hero Pavilion in Urban Forest Jakarta, carving a low, hill-like form into the landscape to house an educational chicken coop disguised as part of the terrain. The pavilion merges ecological performance with community engagement, inviting visitors through a tunnel-like opening into a space that promotes backyard poultry farming as a sustainable household practice. Inside, reclaimed bamboo forms a ventilated, daylight-filled structure optimized for animal comfort and waste management.

The pavilion processes organic waste from nearby restaurants, turning leaves and food scraps into compost and closing the loop by distributing fresh eggs daily, a live demonstration of a micro circular economy. As a temporary installation, the project functions both as a prototype for low-impact chicken coops and as a public learning space. It addresses Indonesia’s significant food waste challenges while breaking stigmas around small-scale poultry keeping. Blending into the park’s topography, the Chicken Hero Pavilion shows how simple construction and local materials can support inclusive education, environmental stewardship, and community-led sustainability.

read more here 

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2024 — 2023 — 2022 — 2021 — 2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013

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Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha has announced a major campus expansion led by architect Lina Ghotmeh. The project coincides with the museum’s fifteenth anniversary and signals a shift toward a broader role that joins exhibition with making, research, and gathering.

The expansion begins at ground level, where a redesigned lobby and library introduce a new social threshold to the museum. Conceived as a majlis-inspired space, the open plan is organized around modular furniture elements that support reading, conversation, and public programs while remaining adaptable over time. Ghotmeh’s ongoing work for Qatar also includes the first permanent national pavilion in the Giardini of La Biennale di Venezia, announced earlier this year (see designboom’s coverage here). 

Mathaf announces a major campus expansion in Doha | visualizations © Lina Ghotmeh

lina ghotmeh’s library, café, and atrium

With the ground-level phase, architect Lina Ghotmeh establishes the tone for the wider expansion of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. The library brings together art publications from the region alongside museum and Qatar Museums titles, forming a space that encourages lingering and return visits. A café and expanded book and gift shop extend the sequence, allowing the ground floor to function as a daily point of entry for the campus.

New visual landmarks within the atrium reinforce the museum’s civic presence. A large-scale portrait by Yan Pei-Ming joins earlier commissions dedicated to Qatar’s leadership, situating the renewed interior within the institution’s ongoing narrative while framing the atrium as a place of gathering.

the Arab Museum marks its fifteenth anniversary with a reconfigured ground floor

upcoming plans range from displays to makers’ spaces

Future phases extend beyond the existing building footprint, transforming the current plaza and adjacent service areas into purpose-built studios for artists and designers. Facilities for ceramics will support large-scale production through shared work areas and specialized equipment developed with practicing artists. Spaces dedicated to glass, woodworking, and material experimentation will sit alongside a sound studio shaped through collaboration with composer and artist Tarek Atoui.

Together, these environments form the basis of a new residency program that positions the Arab Museum as a site of sustained practice. Exhibitions tied to the anniversary program, including interventions by Atoui and Gabriel Chaile, preview how making, research, and display will coexist across the campus.

a majlis-inspired library introduces flexible spaces for reading and gathering

a unified design language

Across the site, Lina Ghotmeh’s approach emphasizes continuity and material presence. Existing warehouses will be adapted into studios through a consistent architectural skin that brings coherence to varied volumes. This curtain-like envelope mediates light and scale while giving the campus a legible identity from afar.

At ground level, a continuous earthen surface will link buildings and outdoor spaces through a landscape attuned to regional climate conditions. The expansion reframes Mathaf as an active environment for learning and production, extending the institution’s mission through architecture that supports daily use, long stays, and evolving forms of artistic work.

a new café and bookshop extend the museum daily life beyond exhibitions

future phases convert surrounding sites into artist studios and workshops

ceramics, glass, sound, and material practices shape the new residency program

project info:

name: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art | @mathafmodern

architect: Lina Ghotmeh | @linaghotmeh

location: Doha, Qatar

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The Kingdom of Bahrain unveils its National Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, with design by Lebanese-French architect Lina Ghotmeh and her Paris-based studio, Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture. This pavilion marks the country’s fourth participation in a World Expo, following its previous participations in Expo Shanghai 2010, Expo Milan 2015, and Expo Dubai 2020. Built of timber, this project is located in the Expo’s ‘Empowering Lives’ area, facing the sea to symbolize Bahrain’s rich maritime heritage.

Bahraini design studio Shepherd Studio leads the interior design of the exhibition under Lina Ghotmeh’s artistic direction. The exhibition highlights Bahrain’s maritime, logistical, and natural resources.

UPDATE October 15th, 2025: The Kingdom of Bahrain Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, designed by Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture, receives the Gold Award for Best Architecture and Landscape in the Self-Built Pavilions category (under 1,500 square meters). The award recognizes the refined architectural vision of the project, which reinterprets Bahrain’s maritime heritage through sustainable construction and meticulous craftsmanship. Built of timber and aluminum, the pavilion reflects Ghotmeh’s contextual approach, bridging Bahraini boat-building traditions with Japanese wood artistry.

all images courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture

Inspiration from Traditional Dhow Boats

The design by architect Lina Ghotmeh draws inspiration from the traditional dhow boats of Bahrain, reinterpreting millennial boat-building techniques to showcase the nation’s craftsmanship and manufacturing heritage at Expo 2025 Osaka. The pavilion also pays homage to Japanese wood artistry, celebrating the bilateral relationship between Bahrain and Japan.

By focusing on the country’s maritime history, the pavilion highlights Bahrain’s strategic geographic location as a maritime crossroads in the Gulf Region. This historical position as a major port of trade has contributed to the country’s cultural diversity, driving innovation and creativity. This aligns with the overarching theme of Expo Osaka, Designing Future Society for our Lives, and its sub-themes Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives. 

The pavilion’s structure reinterprets heritage boat-building techniques, featuring a wooden structure with an outer aluminum layer. Designed for easy disassembly and recycling after the Expo, the pavilion also incorporates ancient cooling techniques to reduce reliance on mechanical cooling methods, adapting to contemporary needs and lowering environmental impact.

The Kingdom of Bahrain unveils its National Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka

Emphasizing Historical Maritime Significance

The pavilion emphasizes Bahrain’s historical maritime heritage, which has served as a primary means of communication with the world since the Dilmun Civilization. Showcasing Bahrain’s strategic location as a gateway to the Gulf, the pavilion illustrates its history as a major port of trade and its exceptional cultural diversity and innovation.

His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and General Commissioner of Bahrain’s National Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025, stated: ‘In today’s rapidly evolving world, our efforts aim to establish Bahrain as a leader in innovation, creativity, and sustainability. Our participation in the World Expo is crucial, providing a platform to demonstrate our diverse capabilities, rich cultural heritage, and innovative solutions to global challenges.’

He emphasized Bahrain’s unique geographic location and historical role as a maritime crossroads, shaping its rich culture and economic strengths. He also highlighted the synergy between various sectors in Bahrain working together to represent the Kingdom. Additionally, he noted the importance of Expo Osaka as a platform for global communication and collaboration, ultimately benefiting humanity.

the Lina Ghotmeh-designed pavilion marks the country’s fourth participation in a World Expo

built of timber, this project is located in the Expo’s ‘Empowering Lives’ area

paying homage to Japanese wood artistry

the pavilion received Gold Award for Best Architecture and Landscape in the Self-Built Pavilions category

reinterpreting heritage boat-building techniques

drawing from the traditional dhow boats of Bahrain

reinterpreting millennial boat-building techniques to showcase the nation’s craftsmanship

the pavilion incorporates ancient cooling techniques to reduce reliance on mechanical methods

adapting to contemporary needs and lowering environmental impact

designed for easy disassembly and recycling after the Expo

the pavilion emphasizes Bahrain’s historical maritime heritage

the pavilion highlights Bahrain’s strategic geographic location     

aligning with the overarching theme of Expo Osaka 2025

project info: 

project title: National Pavilion for The Kingdom of Bahrain

architecture: Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture | @linaghotmeh_architecture

location: Expo 2025 Osaka | @expo2025japan

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Birdhouses designed by Norman Foster, Sou Fujimoto, Lina Ghotmeh, Frida Escobedo, and more are shown in the exhibition Architects for the Birds during London Frieze Week. Taking place at Christie’s London 20/21 Marquee Week between October 13th and 17th and during the Frieze Week between October 8th and 14th, 2025, the project led by Norman Foster brings together ten renowned architects to design homes for the birds for an exhibition and a charity auction supporting brain cancer research.  

Norman Foster initiated the collaboration with the Tessa Jowell Foundation, inviting nine other architects to interpret themes of sanctuary, care, and hope through miniature architectural birdhouses. The participating architects include Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, David Chipperfield, Grafton Architects, Sou Fujimoto, Lina Ghotmeh, Jacques Herzog, Frida Escobedo, Farshid Moussavi, and Kazuyo Sejima/SANAA.

all images courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. 2025 | photo by Michael Bodiam

Exhibition at Christie’s King Street during London’s Frieze Week

Each architect, including Norman Foster, who conceived the project, received an open brief allowing interpretation of the sanctuary theme, and the resulting birdhouses are set to be exhibited publicly at Christie’s King Street during London’s Frieze Week in October 2025, then sold at a private dinner auction. While specific construction details aren’t provided, each architect, including Norman Foster himself, likely approaches the birdhouses using materials and techniques consistent with their established design philosophies and architectural styles.

The scale shift from large buildings to small birdhouses poses technical challenges, as details that work at building scale may not function at miniature scale, requiring the contributing architects to rethink proportions and their joinery methods. The theme of sanctuary, care, and hope offers them a conceptual framework while allowing individual interpretation. Some architects focus on the protective aspects of shelter, such as Norman Foster’s tiered, lamp-like birdhouse, while others zero in on the nurturing qualities of home, including Frida Escobedo’s ladderized wooden open birdhouse and Grafton Architects’ playful resting rods. 

Norman Foster, Birdfeeder, 2025. Prototype | photo by Michael Bodiam

‘Architects for the Birds’ to support research on brain cancer

Named Architects for the Birds, the exhibition coinciding with London Frieze Week and the auction by Christie’s represents a rare and collectible design challenge through birdhouses by the most revered architects of the present time. Each birdhouse is slated to be auctioned at a private dinner at Christie’s to support the work of the Tessa Jowell Foundation to improve treatment and care for people with brain cancer across the NHS in the UK.

The Tessa Jowell Foundation focuses on brain cancer treatment improvement, specifically addressing what they identify as the leading cancer killer of children and adults under 40. The foundation was established following Tessa Jowell’s death from brain cancer. She served as the UK’s longest-serving Secretary of State for Culture, which explains the cultural connections that enabled this architectural collaboration.

Norman Foster, Birdfeeder, 2025. Prototype | photo by Michael Bodiam

Frida Escobedo, Bird Station – 01, 2025

Grafton Architects, A drawing of Éanlann for Architects for the Birds, 2025

Grafton Architects, Éanlann, 2025

Grafton Architects, A drawing of Éanlann for Architects for the Birds, 2025

Jacques Herzog, Utensils, 2025

Jacques Herzog, Utensils, 2025

Kazuyo Sajima, Tori no le, 2025

project info:

name: Architects for the Birds

architects: Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, David Chipperfield, Grafton Architects, Sou Fujimoto, Lina Ghotmeh, Jacques Herzog, Frida Escobedo, Farshid Moussavi, Kazuyo Sejima | @officialnormanfoster, @rpbw_architects, @david.chipperfield, @graftonarchitects, @sou_fujimoto, @linaghotmeh, @herzogdemeuron, @fridaescobedo, @farshidmoussavi, @sanaa_jimusho

foundation: Tessa Jowell Foundation | @tessajowellfoundation

auction: Christie’s | @christiesinc

event: London 20/21 Marquee Week, London Frieze Week | @friezeofficial

dates: October 13th to 17th, 2025

photography: Michael Bodiam | @michaelbodiam

The post norman foster, sou fujimoto, lina ghotmeh and more design birdhouses at christie’s in london appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) appoints architect Lina Ghotmeh to design the Jadids’ Legacy Museum in Bukhara, a project that reimagines the former residence of reformist leader Usmon Khodjaev as a cultural landmark. Due to open in 2027, the museum is designed to explore the ideas and influence of Jadidism, the reform movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that sought to modernize education, foster cultural renewal, and expand intellectual horizons across Central Asia. The commission also marks Ghotmeh’s first project in the region.

‘The opportunity to work in Bukhara is a profound immersion into an extraordinarily rich history, one that has left behind truly fascinating architectural gems,’ Lina Ghotmeh tells designboom. ‘As you wander through the city’s streets, you are embraced by a heritage that carries you back to the Silk Road, to the architectural wonders of the early Islamic period, through the medieval flourishing under the Timurids, and forward into modern times. To build within this context is to listen carefully to the depth of history and to introduce new spaces – gently, softly, almost as whispers in dialogue with the past.’

The museum is part of a growing network of institutions spearheaded by ACDF that seek to place Uzbekistan’s cultural identity on the global stage. In Bukhara alone, this includes the recently launched Bukhara Biennial, while nationwide initiatives range from the revitalization of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent to the Tadao Ando-designed National Museum of Uzbekistan, currently under construction (find designboom’s previous coverage here). 

elevation sketch | Jadids’ Legacy Museum renders by Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture, courtesy Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF)

A historic residence Reborn Through Archaeology of the Future

Known for projects such as the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion in London, the Stone Garden tower in Beirut, and her current commission to renovate the British Museum’s Western Range galleries, Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh describes her method as an Archaeology of the Future. ‘It involves delving into the history and context of a place, much like an archaeologist unearths layers of the past, to inform designs that are rooted in memory and place,’ she explains to us. ‘For the Jadids’ Legacy Museum, this approach means creating a space that dialogues with its historical context, offering visitors an immersive experience that connects them to the past while inspiring future reflection.’

The building chosen to house the Jadids’ Legacy Museum once belonged to Usmon Khodjaev (1878–1968), a central figure in the Jadid movement and the first president of the short-lived Bukhara People’s Republic. Born into a merchant family in Bukhara, Khodjaev studied in Istanbul, where he raised funds to establish Jadid schools. Returning to Uzbekistan in 1913, he helped form the Young Bukharans, a group of reform-minded intellectuals advocating for educational and social change. His later career extended into diplomacy and scholarship, including leadership at the Institute for the Study of Turkic Culture in Ankara.

The word originates in Arabic and Persian, where jadid means ‘new’. Initially applied to modern educational methods, the word came to represent a wider program of cultural and social reform in Central Asia. The movement emphasized literacy, the inclusion of women in education, and engagement with global intellectual currents, while remaining grounded in local identity.

ACDF appoints architect Lina Ghotmeh to design the Jadids’ Legacy Museum in Bukhara | Iwan

The Khodjaev Residence as Cultural Landmark

Located beside Lyabi-Hauz, Bukhara’s 17th-century square and gathering place, the house has witnessed a transformative era in the region’s history. In a gesture of continuity, Khodjaev’s son, Professor Temur Khodja, has pledged the property to the Ministry of Culture to guarantee its continuity as a museum dedicated to Jadid heritage. ‘The residence of Usmon Khodjaev is more than a house. It is a vessel of memory, a silent witness to an age of change,’ Ghotmeh tells us. ‘Within its walls echo the voices of a generation that dreamed of new schools, new freedoms, and a new future for Central Asia. It bears the weight of history — the aspirations of the Jadid reformers, the collapse of the Emirate, the shadows of the Soviet years — and now, the possibility of a new chapter where memory and imagination converge.’

The museum will integrate the city’s architectural legacy into its design. ‘Bukhara’s architectural tapestry is profoundly rich, shaped by centuries of cultural exchange and evolution. Our design seeks to honor this complexity by weaving together traditional materials and forms with contemporary interventions, creating a harmonious dialogue between past and present so the museum becomes a meaningful addition to Bukhara’s architectural narrative,’ the architect notes.

the museum is designed to explore the ideas and influence of Jadidism | garden view

Carrying the Jadids’ Vision in Bukhara forward

At the same time, the project will highlight the work of local artisans. ‘Collaboration with local craftspeople lies at the heart of our approach, ensuring the design remains authentic, locally crafted, and culturally resonant,’ Ghotmeh shares. ‘By working with traditional materials — clay, ceramics, wood — and employing age-old techniques passed down through generations, the project both supports the craft community and embeds the museum within the cultural fabric of Bukhara. Our aim is to reinterpret these practices through contemporary applications, transforming the museum into more than an exhibition space — into an inspiring, spiritual environment where tradition and modernity meet.’

For ACDF, the museum is an opportunity to bring these stories into the present, establishing a space for reflection on how the reformers’ vision continues to resonate today. Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of ACDF and head of the Department for Creative Economy and Tourism, describes the project as a chance to connect past and present. ‘The Jadids’ Legacy Museum will tell the story of visionaries whose belief in knowledge, cultural renewal, and openness resonates powerfully today. In Bukhara, their legacy is part of the city’s fabric, and an inspiration for all generations,’ she notes.

the commission also marks Ghotmeh’s first project in the region | home

part of a growing network of institutions spearheaded by ACDF | scholarly impact

project info:

name: Jadids’ Legacy Museum

architect: Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture | @linaghotmeh_architecture

location: Bukhara, Uzbekistan

commissioner: Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) | @acdfuz

completion: 2027

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Museums offer a singular way to experience architecture as a living record. Across the world, new cultural institutions and thoughtful transformations continue to shape how we engage with artwork, historical artifacts, and civic life. In this context, architecture becomes a means of orientation, framing memory and revealing histories. This year, major museum projects have been unveiled and completed. From subterranean expansions to open-air installations, the physical frameworks of these institutions reflect shifting curatorial values and public expectations. Some buildings stretch across city streets or rise from the forest floor, while others embed themselves carefully within existing heritage, expanding through deliberate restraint.

To celebrate International Museum Day, held on May 18th each year, designboom rounds up a selection of recently unveiled and anticipated museums. These projects move beyond the boundaries of the traditional gallery, inviting new modes of participation and perception. What emerges is a deeper consideration of structure and story — each museum offers its own response to the evolving role of architecture in public life.

The Frick Collection, New York, NY | image © Nicholas Venezia

Hungarian Natural History Museum

In Debrecen’s Great Forest, the Hungarian Natural History Museum designed by Bjarke Ingels Group with Vikár és Lukács Építész Stúdió, Museum Studio, and TYPSA rises from the ground in a trio of landscaped ribbons that weave through the trees. The mass timber structure is partially embedded into the terrain, its charred wood facade drawing material cues from the forest while supporting the ecological rhythms of the site.

Conceived as both architecture and landscape, the building folds together exhibition halls, public spaces, and research facilities in a continuous spatial flow, anchored by a central atrium and topped with native-planted green roofs. Viewed from above, the museum appears as an extension of the forest floor, its geometry clear but softened by its interaction with the natural surroundings. Passive design systems and on-site renewables help stabilize the interior climate, reinforcing a broader vision of cultural and environmental restoration.

Hungarian Natural History Museum, Debrecen, Hungary | visualization © BIG

FENIX MUSEUM OF MIGRATION

Fenix, the new museum of migration designed by MAD and led by architect Ma Yansong, has opened its doors within a transformed 1923 warehouse in Rotterdam’s Katendrecht district. The project anchors itself in a place once defined by departures, reimagining the monumental port structure as a civic space where personal histories and collective memory converge. At its core rises the Tornado, a spiraling double-helix staircase that cuts through the historic building and culminates in a rooftop observatory. This gesture of upward motion becomes a sculptural expression of passage, both physical and symbolic.

Inside, exhibitions unfold across immersive installations and contemporary artworks, interweaving photography, found objects, and oral histories to chart the human experiences of migration. At ground level, a freely accessible public plaza with food offerings and performances reflects the city’s multicultural spirit. For Ma Yansong, Fenix is at once an architectural milestone and a vessel for encounter and memory. It is an idea brought to life as visitors ascend through light, shadows, and shared stories.

Fenix Museum of Migration, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | image © designboom

Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum

In Shenzhen’s Guangming District, the newly opened Science & Technology Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects stands as a bold focal point at the edge of the city’s emerging Science Park. The spherical structure anchors the site with a deep blue stainless-steel skin that subtly shifts in color and reflects the sky. Terraces unfold to the west, connecting the building to the park and extending the experience of the galleries outdoors.

A vast central atrium serves as the spatial core, with exhibition spaces branching outward in layered, shifting planes that invite movement and exploration. The design merges civic architecture with sustainable ambition, incorporating passive ventilation, solar energy, and water recycling while using a digital twin to navigate its intricate geometry. Designed as a cultural and research hub, the museum brings together education and technology into a single fluid form.

Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum, Shenzhen, China | image courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects

the frick Collection

After nearly five years of renovation, The Frick Collection has reopened in New York with a renewed sense of architectural continuity, guided by Selldorf Architects in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle. The design navigates the delicate balance between preservation and intervention, with subtle alterations that honor the original 1914 Carrère and Hastings mansion while expanding its spatial and programmatic possibilities.

Key additions include the Ronald S. Lauder Exhibition Galleries, a subterranean auditorium, and public access to the residence’s second floor, where private rooms have been carefully restored. The architecture is thoughtful in tone and quiet in execution, from the oak floors to the glass-and-bronze bridge connecting the museum to the Frick Art Reference Library. With expanded facilities and newly integrated sightlines, the building deepens its role as both a cultural landmark and a site of ongoing scholarship.

The Frick Collection, New York, NY | image © Joseph Coscia Jr.

British Museum, Western Range galleries

Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture has been selected to lead the redesign of the Western Range galleries at London‘s British Museum, marking a defining chapter in the institution’s ongoing Masterplan. Known for her context-driven and materially sensitive approach, Ghotmeh proposes a reconfiguration that responds both to the museum’s architectural fabric and its layered historical collections. Her design draws from archaeological thinking, using excavation as metaphor and method, particularly in the reimagined space for the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

The project, slated for completion in 2026, will unfold through a multidisciplinary collaboration with specialists in conservation, engineering, and curatorial practice. As a result, the Western Range will become a renewed site of encounter — architecturally measured and intellectually charged — where history is at once preserved and reinterpreted.

Western Range galleries at the British Museum, London, England | visualization courtesy Lina Ghotmeh

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

As construction on the David Geffen Galleries nears completion, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art prepares for a transformative chapter shaped by Peter Zumthor’s sweeping concrete design. Elevated above LA‘s Wilshire Boulevard, the new building stretches across both sides of the thoroughfare, reorienting the museum’s campus with a fluid, sculptural presence. 

Accessed by floating stairs and elevators, the structure will offer new public spaces, shaded plazas, and the East West Bank Commons beneath the elevated galleries. Educational and cultural programs will be anchored by the W.M. Keck Education Center and the Steve Tisch Theater, while large-scale works by Mariana Castillo Deball, Sarah Rosalena, and others will be embedded across the 3.5-acre landscape. The David Geffen Galleries will open to the public for the first time in April 2026 as LACMA’s entirely new home for its permanent collection. Meanwhile, the public will be able to begin exploring multiple features of and around the new David Geffen Galleries in summer 2025 including installations of outdoor sculptures, and special preview events.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California | image via @LACMA

TEAMLAB PHENOMENA

Set to open in April 2025 within Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, teamLab Phenomena introduces a permanent space for immersive, interactive installations that evolve in real time. Conceived by the Tokyo-based art collective and designed in collaboration with MZ Architects, the 17,000-square-meter structure is shaped around teamLab’s philosophy of environmental phenomena, where artworks emerge through changing conditions of light, air, and water. The architecture facilitates a fluid relationship between visitor, artwork, and atmosphere, transforming each encounter into a distinct sensory event. As part of Abu Dhabi’s cultural vision, the venue invites open-ended exploration across art and technology while positioning itself as a catalyst for continuous discovery.

teamLab Phenomena, Abu Dhabi, UAE | visualization courtesy © teamLab

Museo Egizio, Gallery of the Kings

At Turin’s Museo Egizio, OMA has completed the renovation of the Gallery of the Kings as part of its broader reimagining of the institution, set for completion in 2025. Working with Andrea Tabocchini Architecture, the team transformed a once shadowed interior into a luminous sequence of vaulted halls, where natural and artificial light reflect off aluminum walls to heighten the presence of monumental statuary.

The design draws on ancient Egyptian associations between light and divinity, aligning spatial experience with curatorial intent. Visitors now enter through a darkened threshold before emerging into two galleries that restore the architectural clarity of the 17th-century building and stage the statues of Karnak in a newly choreographed order. The interplay of material and history offers a renewed encounter with the museum’s core collection, shaped by light and grounded in time.

Gallery of the Kings, Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy | image © Marco Cappelletti, courtesy OMA

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

During the 2025 Architecture Biennale, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain presents an exhibition by Jean Nouvel at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, offering a preview of the institution’s forthcoming transformation in Paris. Following his celebrated 1994 design for the glass-and-steel building on Boulevard Raspail, Nouvel now turns to a Haussmannian structure at Place du Palais-Royal, reimagining it as a dynamic exhibition space attuned to the needs of contemporary art.

In Venice, the exhibition traces this evolution through sectional models, large-scale imagery, and kinetic design elements such as movable ceilings and adjustable platforms that reflect the adaptable nature of the new venue. The architecture is presented in dialogue with its surroundings, with views of San Giorgio Maggiore reinforcing the show’s themes of spatial and cultural continuity. As the Fondation prepares to open its new Parisian home in autumn 2025, the exhibition foregrounds architecture as a living practice shaped by decades of collaboration.

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel, Venice, Italy | image © Jean Nouvel/ADAGP

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Los Angeles‘ Exposition Park is undergoing a significant transformation as the MAD Architects-designed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art continues to take shape. Spearheaded by filmmaker George Lucas, the curving volume is sculptural and complex as it rises from the ground in stark contrast to the traditional structures that surround it.

An important aspect of the overall masterplan is its commitment to creating a shaded, green oasis. Previously dominated by parking lots, the area will be reborn as a walkable, landscaped gathering place amongst the car-centric city. Over two-hundred new trees have already been planted on the site surrounding the museum, overseen by landscape architect Mia Lehrer, with a focus on native and drought-tolerant species. This transformation prioritizes people over cars, creating a much-needed green space for the community of South LA. The museum is set to open in 2026, with content direction led by George Lucas.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, California | image courtesy Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

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Lina Ghotmeh’s vision for the permanent national pavilion of Qatar at the Giardini of Venice has been unveiled, marking an important moment for the nation’s cultural presence at La Biennale di Venezia. The new pavilion will be only the third to join this historic landscape in more than half a century. As images of the design were revealed, Qatar’s leadership, together with Ghotmeh, described the pavilion as a space of hospitality, one that will serve as both a cultural platform and a symbol of dialogue between Qatar and the world. See designboom’s previous coverage here.

Lina Ghotmeh says: ‘Qatar is a place where the world comes to discuss serious matters while the nation continues to foster cultural diplomacy through art and creativity. This is the vocation of the permanent Qatar Pavilion as well — to be a place where visitors can discover art as a way of bringing people together.

‘The question of hospitality is at the center of the design of the Qatar Pavilion. It is about how a place can embrace people and allow these encounters, especially at this location, which is really at the heart at the Giardini. Opening up this new platform for Arab voices and presenting us in our diversity brings a new perspective to the Giardini.’

winning proposal for the Future Qatar Pavilion by Lina Ghotmeh, 2025

lina ghotmeh offers a platform for diverse arab voices

Architect Lina Ghotmeh emphasizes that Qatar’s pavilion in Venice will introduce a new language to the Giardini, one that responds to the Middle Eastern traditions of gathering and hospitality. In conversation with architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff, she noted how the pavilion’s presence will expand the Biennale’s cultural geography, offering a platform for diverse Arab voices.

The proposal reflects Qatar’s ambition to contribute a lasting voice to the Biennale’s architectural landscape in Venice. Presented during a series of celebrations hosted by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the design was described as a place of encounter, shaped by the principles of openness and welcome. Ghotmeh spoke of the pavilion as a home for exchange, a site where visitors are invited to explore art, architecture, and collective memory through the lens of Qatar’s cultural identity.

Opening of Qatar’s Participation in the 19th International Architectural Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, courtesy Qatar Museums

a new chapter for venice’s architectural narrative

Lina Ghotmeh’s unveiling of Qatar’s pavilion coincided with the opening of ‘Beyti Beytak. My Home is Your Home. La mia casa è la tua casa,’ the nation’s official presentation for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. While the temporary exhibition at Palazzo Franchetti welcomed visitors with projects addressing community and care, the announcement of the permanent pavilion carried a deeper message about Qatar’s long-term commitment to cultural diplomacy. As the pavilion takes shape in the Giardini, Qatar and Lina Ghotmeh together begin writing a new chapter in the architectural narrative of Venice.

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in conversation with Qatar Pavilion Architect Lina Ghotmeh moderated by Architecture Critic Nicolai Ouroussoff at ACP-Palazzo Franchetti, courtesy Qatar Museums

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani marks the site of the future Qatar Pavilion in the Giardini of La Biennale di Venezia During the 19th International Architectural Exhibition with President of La Biennale di Venezia Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Lina Ghotmeh, architect of the future Qatar Pavilion, photo © Simone Padovani/Getty Images for Qatar Museums

Community Centre by Architect Yasmeen Lari on the site of the future Qatar Pavilion in the Giardini of La Biennale di Venezia, photo © Simone Padovani/Getty Images for Qatar Museums

project info:

name: Qatar National Pavilion

architect: Lina Ghotmeh

location: Giardini della Biennale, Venice

program: La Biennale Di Venezia 

exhibition: Beyti Beytak. My home is your home. La mia casa è la tua casa.

commissioner: H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa, Qatar Museums | @qatar_museums

organizer: Art Mill Museum

curator: Aurélien Lemonier (Art Mill Museum Curator of Architecture), Sean Anderson (Associate Professor at Cornell

University), Virgile Alexandre

The post qatar unveils first visual of lina ghotmeh’s permanent national pavilion at venice biennale appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Qatar selects Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh to design its new national pavilion in the historic Giardini of Venice, one of the two historic venues of La Biennale di Venezia. It is set to become the first permanent structure to be added to the site in three decades.

Since its inauguration in 1895, the Giardini has been the symbolic heart of La Biennale di Venezia, hosting national pavilions that operate as architectural emissaries of their countries. However, only two permanent additions have been made over the last half-century: Australia’s in 1988, and South Korea’s in 1995. Qatar now joins this rarefied group — a reflection of its sustained cultural investment and growing architectural voice on the global stage. See designboom’s coverage of the Qatar Pavilion’s announcement here.

The move marks Lina Ghotmeh’s return to Venice — at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, her team presented the design process behind its Stone Garden housing project situated in Beirut, Lebanon. Through the project, the team showcased the ability of architecture to function as reconciliation and resilience in times of crisis.

Padiglione Centrale Giardini | image by Andrea Avezzu, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia

ARCHITECT Lina Ghotmeh selected for her contextual work

Selected through an international competition, Lina Ghotmeh is set to bring her celebrated sensibility to the permanent Qatar Pavilion at the Giardini of Venice. The Lebanese-born, Paris-based architect is known for her deeply contextual work, often addressing memory, territory, and craft through architecture that speaks in quiet but powerful tones.

‘My team and I are deeply honoured to have been chosen for this uniquely exciting and significant project,’ Ghotmeh shares. ‘Qatar is a cultural beacon for the entire MENASA region. It is thrilling to be given this opportunity to design Qatar’s Pavilion on the historic grounds of the Giardini of La Biennale di Venezia.’

According to an official statement, Ghotmeh’s concept stood out for its ‘architectural clarity and thoughtful response to the Pavilion’s historic context,’ a design approach that responds into its surroundings while offering flexibility for exhibitions within.

Lina Ghotmeh | image © Kimberly Lloyd

qatar PERMANENT pavilion symbolizes international Exchange

Praising Lina Ghotmeh’s appointment as designer for the Qatar Pavilion at the Giardini of Venice, Qatar Museums Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani says: ‘Her work is inspiring new and traditional audiences with its sensitivity to the human condition and its confident, innovative flair. Lina has wholeheartedly embraced our vision for the Qatar Pavilion as a platform for the artistic, architectural, and cultural creativity of our nation and the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.’

During the upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale, opening on May 10th, 2025, Qatar will present a two-part exhibition titled ‘Beyti Beytak. My home is your home. La mia casa è la tua casa.’ Commissioned by H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa and organized by the future Art Mill Museum, the exhibition will explore architectural expressions of hospitality, domesticity, and cultural exchange across the MENASA region.

Lina Ghotmeh’s model of Beirut’s Stone Garden housing at Venice Architecture Biennale 2021

The first part of the exhibition will be installed directly on the future pavilion site and feature the Community Centre by Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari, previously seen in Qatar’s MANZAR exhibition (see designboom’s coverage here). The second part, hosted at Palazzo Franchetti, brings together works by over twenty modern and contemporary architects — from regional legends such as Raj Rewal and Minnette de Silva to contemporary voices like Marina Tabassum and Abeer Seikaly.

Curated by Aurélien Lemonier of the Art Mill Museum and Sean Anderson from Cornell University, with collaboration from Virgile Alexandre, the exhibition responds to Biennale curator Carlo Ratti’s 2025 theme: Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. Discover what else we know so far about the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 here!

Lina Ghotmeh designs Bahrain’s National Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka | image © Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture

This announcement follows a 2024 Protocol of Cooperation signed between Qatar Museums and the Municipality of Venice, underscoring a shared commitment to cultural and socio-economic collaboration. For Qatar, the new pavilion symbolizes not only a strategic cultural foothold in Europe, but also an invitation for global audiences to engage with the architectural narratives shaping the MENASA region today.

Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of La Biennale di Venezia, acknowledged the significance of this addition: ‘Venice is the only European city to have had, since the year 1000 CE, a name in Arabic — Bunduqiyyah — a fact that testifies to the teeming mixture of languages and ethnicities that have long sheltered here. In the spirit of curiosity, exploration, and sincere human exchange, I welcome Qatar to the Giardini, as a powerful global source of creativity and cross-cultural understanding.’

With Lina Ghotmeh leading the project, Qatar’s new pavilion is set to be a physical anchor and a symbolic gesture, a space of belonging, exchange, and architectural resonance on one of the world’s most important stages.

Serpentine Pavilion 2023 designed by Lina Ghotmeh | image © Iwan Baan

project info:

name: Qatar National Pavilion

architect: Lina Ghotmeh

location: Giardini della Biennale, Venice

program: La Biennale Di Venezia 

exhibition: Beyti Beytak. My home is your home. La mia casa è la tua casa.

commissioner: H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa, Qatar Museums | @qatar_museums

organizer: Art Mill Museum

curator: Aurélien Lemonier (Art Mill Museum Curator of Architecture), Sean Anderson (Associate Professor at Cornell

University), Virgile Alexandre

The post lina ghotmeh selected to design permanent qatar pavilion at venice biennale’s giardini appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture (LG—A) wins the competition to redesign the Western Range galleries of the British Museum, marking a pivotal step in the ongoing Masterplan project of the institution. The ambitious transformation will be one of the most significant cultural renovations worldwide, reconfiguring the architecture and display of key artifacts within the historic museum by the middle of 2026. ‘My team and I are thrilled to embark on this journey for the renovation of the Western Range of the British Museum,’ shares the Lebanese-born architect. ‘This competition has been an exciting process shaped by dialogue and multiple voices. I am looking forward to continuing this rich and collaborative process as we work towards transforming this section of the museum into an extraordinary space — a place of connections for the world and of the world.’

all images courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh, unless stated otherwise

the architect’s ‘archaeological’ approach wins the jury

Led by Lina Ghotmeh, the Paris-based practice was selected for its sensitivity to the context of the museum, demonstrating a profound understanding of collections display and visitor interaction. The jury particularly resonated with the architect’s ‘archaeological’ approach, which aligns with the historical and curatorial ethos of the British Museum.

The competition drew over 60 international teams, culminating in a nine-month selection process. It tasked participants with reimagining key gallery spaces within the Western Range, including the architecture and display of significant artifacts. Five finalists advanced to the second stage, where Lina Ghotmeh—architecture emerged as the unanimous choice.

Lina Ghotmeh’s proposal includes a reconfigured space dedicated to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—situated in present-day Bodrum, Turkey. The selection process was overseen by a distinguished jury, including Yvonne Farrell, Meneesha Kellay, Mahrukh Tarapor, and Sarah Younger, alongside George Osborn, Chairman of the British Museum, and Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, the Museum’s Director. Representatives of the Board of Trustees, including Tracey Emin, Charlie Mayfield, and Alejandro Santo Domingo, also played a role in the decision-making process.

Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture (LG—A) to redesign the Western Range galleries of the British Museum

the project to be delivered by the middle of 2026

Ghotmeh approaches each project as a layered excavation—unearthing a building’s past to inform its reimagined future. Prioritizing sustainability and natural materials, her vision resonated with the collection of the museum, which spans two million years of human history. ‘Lina Ghotmeh is an architect of extraordinary grace and gravitas. Her team’s proposals demonstrated an exceptional and materially sensitive architectural vision for the British Museum, and their ‘archaeological’ approach clearly understood the ambition for this project to be as much an intellectual transformation as an architectural one,’ explains Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum. ‘Lina and her team have a track record for delivering unique and human-centred design with a timeless elegance. I am delighted we will be working together and excited for the years ahead at such a pivotal chapter for the Museum, embarking on a generationally significant project that will transform a third of our gallery space.’

Lina Ghotmeh will work alongside a multidisciplinary team, including artist Ali Cherri, Plan A for design team coordination, Purcell as executive and conservation architect, Arup for structural and civil engineering, and Holmes Studio for graphic design and wayfinding. Together, they will refine their winning concept into a final design approach set to be delivered by mid-2026.

the competition tasked participants with reimagining key gallery spaces | image via @nicholascullinan

the jury particularly resonated with the architect’s ‘archaeological’ approach | image via @nicholascullinan

the Paris-based practice was selected for its sensitivity to the context of the museum | image via @nicholascullinan

Lina Ghotmeh and Nicholas Cullinan in the Western Range | © The Trustees of the British Museum

model submitted by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture for competition

project info:

name: British Museum’s Western Range galleries renovation
architect: Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture | @linaghotmeh_architecture
location: British Museum | @britishmuseum, London, United Kingdom

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In his latest photography series, Ste Murray captures the essence of the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Lina Ghotmeh. Aptly, named ‘À table,’ this newly unveiled structure beckons visitors to gather and connect around a concentric table. The architect’s Mediterranean heritage greatly influences this concept, as she recognizes the profound value of the enriching discussions that occur around a table while sharing a meal. ‘I always thought that food is the place where I feel at home. I think food is what draws our relation to our roots, in a way,’ shares the architect in an interview with designboom.

The Serpentine Pavilion gracefully emerges from its surroundings, incorporating the organic forms of the natural environment to create a circular timber structure with a distinctive pleated roof. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the Pavilion symbolizes our collective yearning for a profound and lasting connection with the natural world.

the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Lina Ghotmeh | all images courtesy of Ste Murray

seamless integration with the natural environment

Ste Murray (find more here) photographs the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion, efficiently showcasing both its overall structure and intricate details. The pavilion stands out for its predominant use of bio-sourced and low-carbon materials, aligning with Lina Ghotmeh’s commitment to sustainability and creating spaces that harmonize with their natural surroundings. 

The structure of the Pavilion takes on an intriguing skeletal appearance, featuring a series of timber ribs that gracefully support a pleated roof. Designed in harmony with the surrounding tree canopies, the internal wooden beams elegantly emerge, resembling slender birch tree trunks. To mirror the intricate patterns found on leaves, perforated timber slabs adorn the space, while the roof itself draws inspiration from the graceful form of a palm leaf. This roof design not only accentuates the Pavilion’s horizontal profile but also adds a distinctive character and relationship with light. Unlike a flat surface, the pleats create a captivating interplay of light as it enters and interacts with the Pavilion in a truly unique manner. Furthermore, the inclusion of a lightwell in the center ensures an abundance of natural light and optimal ventilation, further enhancing the Pavilion’s seamless integration with its natural environment.

an assembly of wooden columns supports the pleated roof

Ste Murray’s series captures the wooden pavilion as well the way the visitors enage with it

the pavilion stands out for its predominant use of bio-sourced and low-carbon materials

the structure takes on an intriguing skeletal appearance, featuring a series of timber ribs

the striking roof accentuates the pavilion’s horizontal profile

Lina Ghotmeh within the pavilion

the structure beckons visitors to gather and connect around a concentric table

the wooden beams elegantly emerge, resembling slender birch tree trunks

the perforated facades and the pleated roof add to the intricate visual character of the pavilion

the inclusion of a lightwell in the center ensures an abundance of natural light and optimal ventilation

the perforations on the side of the structure mimic the intricate patterns of leaves

vertical slabs, leaf-shaped apertures and diagonal lines create a dynamic play of patterns within the structure

inside the pavilion, an immersive intimate environment emerges

‘à table’ invites the visitors to gather under the same roof

detailed view of the pleated roof construction

project info: 

name: À table – Serpentine Pavilion 2023
architect: Lina Ghotmeh
location: Serpentine Gallery, London
photography: Ste Murray | @ste_murray

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