Member Article

International Architecture Competition Launched At Beamish

An international competition has been launched at an open air museum in County Durham to find the winning design for a new £6million visitors’ centre.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) competition invites architects to submit their ideas for the new multi-million pound centre at Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum.

The architects’ competition is the first step towards realising a £40 million project that aims to propel award-winning Beamish to world-class ranking for museums. Architectural practices throughout the world are being invited to provide designs for a landmark building that will reflect the international quality of the museum’s collections.

The new centre will allow visitors to enjoy more of the museum’s permanent collections and temporary displays, greatly enhance Beamish’s thriving education programme, and be a tremendous asset for the local and business communities, providing meeting space, as well as a restaurant and museum shop. Miriam Harte, Director of Beamish, said: “The RIBA competition for architects is a platform from which to launch our exciting growth plans at Beamish.

The landmark visitor centre will be the first in a number of important developments that will rightly position Beamish as a world-class museum.“ The RIBA competition for architects will be judged and the winner chosen in early June. Architects’ expressions of interest have to be submitted by 15 March 2005.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .