London
The Victoria and Albert Museum has announced a final short-list of eight architectural practices who are to design initial concepts for the museum’s proposed new building, the Boilerhouse, following a first round of interviews. The new construction will occupy the last unbuilt area on the museum’s thirteen-acre site and will be used to display the work of contemporary craftspeople. The museum is currently seeking funding from a variety of sources, including the National Lottery, to cover the estimated cost of £42 million. The short-listed firms are: Benson & Forsyth, Sir Norman Foster and Partners, Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners Ltd, Zaha M. Hadid (whose controversial scheme for the Cardiff Opera House recently failed to win lottery funding), Michael Hopkins and Partners, Eva Jiricna Architects Ltd, Ian Ritchia Architects, and Daniel Liebeskind. The museum’s board of assessors will reach a decision at the end of March.