Imperial War Museum London level 4 and 5 galleries

The team selected for the estimated £228,000 contract will draw up plans to upgrade two exhibition spaces located at the top of the central London museum which was refurbished by Foster + Partners 11 years ago.

The project – planned to complete in 2027 – comes a year and a half after IWM London opened its new third floor Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries designed by Studio Miller and focussing on how artists, filmmakers, and photographers have shaped perceptions of conflict and war.

According to the brief: ‘IWM are looking to appoint a Lead Architect for the interior refurbishment of their Level 5 and Level 4 Galleries at IWM London.

‘IWM intends to appoint an architectural practice that can provide lead design services encompassing Architectural and Structural Engineering Services. The Lead Architect will manage and lead the design team under the guidance of the external Project Manager.’

Founded in 1917, IWM focusses on conflicts around the world which have involved British or Commonwealth forces. The museum operates five key sites including the subterranean Churchill War Rooms, the 1938 cruiser HMS Belfast and the Studio Libeskind-designed Imperial War Museum North.

Foster + Partners completed a £40 million overhaul of the Imperial War Museum’s central London home in 2014. The scheme, which was the first part of a larger regeneration masterplan, revamped the main exhibition spaces, café and shop inside the Grade II-listed building.

Architype also completed a new 1,240m² storage complex at IWM’s Duxford Aerodrome site in Cambridgeshire in 2019.

Earlier this year, IWM and Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge appointed HBD as its preferred development partner for the development of a ‘next generation’ sustainable air transport called Duxford AvTech.

The 45,000m² ‘Duxford AvTech’ facility will be constructed on the west side of IWM Duxford – Britain’s largest aviation museum which features nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles and naval vessels.

Bids for the latest commission will be evaluated 50 per cent on quality, 10 per cent on social impact and 40 per cent on price. Applicants must hold employer’s liability insurance of £10 million, public liability insurance of £20 million and professional indemnity insurance of £5 million.