Sam Jacob wins £2.25m V&A entrance contest

Sam Jacob Studio has won the £2.25m competition to overhaul the V&A’s Cromwell Road entrance.

The architect beat Studio Tilt, Nex, Gibson Thornley and John Puttick Associates.

The project will reimagine what was the South Kensington museum’s original grand entrance before Amanda Levete provided a new one with her Exhibition Road Quarter transformation.

With its spectacular loaned Dale Chihuly glass chandelier, it currently acts as a focus for orientation, with a central visitor desk – which doubles as a bar during events – and routes leading to all parts of the museum.

The initial phase of the work will involve a redesign of the glass doors and congested security check area, while the second phase will replace the desk and other furniture and upgrade the toilets, cloakroom and services.

Philippa Simpson, the V&A’s acting director of design and FuturePlan said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Sam Jacob on one of the most spectacular spaces in the museum. His vision for the entrance celebrates the material and structure of the listed building while creating closer connections to the street, the surrounding galleries and the rich collections they house, to provide an inspiring moment of arrival.”

In 2017 Sam Jacob designed the V&A’s first overseas outpost in China. The V&A Gallery in Shenzhen is part of a larger cultural centre which was designed by Japanese practice Maki & Associates.

The work is set to complete next year.

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