The National Gallery expansion has taken a major step forward with the announcement of Kengo Kuma as architect for its £750m Project Domani redevelopment.
Kengo Kuma and his studio Kengo Kuma & Associates, working in collaboration with BDP and MICA, have been announced as the winners of the international competition to design a new wing for the National Gallery, forming a central part of its £750 million Project Domani.
The commission marks the most significant transformation of the National Gallery in its 200-year history. Alongside the new building, the project will expand the institution’s collection beyond 1900, positioning it as the only museum dedicated exclusively to painting where visitors can experience the full history of Western painting in a single location.
The architectural competition, launched in September 2025, attracted 65 submissions from international practices, with six teams shortlisted. The jury described Kuma’s proposal as “exemplary,” awarding it the highest possible score.
“The design is both innovative and beautiful, meeting the ambition and sensitivity required for an international gallery commission,”
the panel noted.
“It is respectful of the Sainsbury Wing galleries … and the approach to the public realm and roof garden creates a generous presence, enhanced by trees and greenery.”
The scheme proposes a building that carefully mediates between the National Gallery’s historic architecture and its urban context, using Portland stone and stepped massing to draw in natural light while strengthening connections between Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. Internally, the design balances continuity and contrast: a vaulted and arched lower level that aligns with existing galleries, paired with a more geometric upper floor that introduces a distinct spatial rhythm.
The jury also emphasised the project’s social and environmental ambitions, highlighting “a robust and measurable social value delivery plan” supported by a Climate & Social Action Design Framework, embedding sustainability and public engagement into the building’s lifecycle.
Project Domani will see the construction of the new wing on the site of St Vincent House, completing the Gallery’s campus while also establishing an acquisitions fund for modern painting and securing long-term financial sustainability through an endowment. To date, £375 million has already been raised, including two of the largest publicly reported donations to a museum globally.
National Gallery Chair of Trustees John Booth described the decision as unanimous: “A beautiful design inside and out, sensitive to our existing Grade 1 exteriors and distinctive gallery spaces, the new building will also help to unite two of London’s most important outdoor spaces — Leicester and Trafalgar Squares — by creating enticing new public realm between them.”
Director Sir Gabriele Finaldi added: “Kengo Kuma’s trajectory as an architect demonstrates exceptional design elegance, a keen sensitivity to location and to history, and a supremely beautiful handling of light and of materials. The new building will complete the National Gallery’s campus, adding distinction to some already distinguished buildings.”
For Kuma, whose practice is known for its sensitivity to material and environment, the commission carries both symbolic and practical weight.
“It is a privilege to join the National Gallery in this historic project,”
he said.
“The National Gallery’s collection is a treasure of humanity, and to be entrusted with the expansion that will hold these masterpieces is a responsibility we carry with the greatest care and humility.”
The Jury Panel for the design competition (listed in alphabetical order).
John Booth – Chair, National Gallery Board of Trustees. Chair of the Jury
Céline Condorelli – Artist
Sir Gabriele Finaldi – Director, National Gallery
Lady Patty Hopkins – Architect, RIBA Gold Medal Winner and National Gallery Trustee (1998-2006)
Sir John Kingman – Deputy Chair, National Gallery Board of Trustees
Dame Diane Lees – Former Director, The Imperial War Museum
David Marks – Chair, National Gallery Masterplan Committee
The competition was run by Colander Associates Ltd.
The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. MORE: nationalgallery.org.uk
