Contractor McLaughlin & Harvey has won a deal to build a new collection and research centre in east London for the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The Diller Sofidio + Renfro-designed building is one of two new public V&A venues under construction the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the £25m V&A East project. It will turn the museum’s store into a visitor experience.
The new 16,000m2 centre will become home to 250,000 objects, 350,000 books and over 1,000 archives spanning the breadth of the V&A’s collection from fashion, textiles and furniture to painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, design, architecture and digital. The majority of the artefacts will be relocated to the new centre from Blythe House, where a significant proportion of the V&A’s collections are currently stored, in the V&A’s biggest collection move since World War II.
Michael Kieran, construction director at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: “McLaughlin & Harvey is delighted to have been appointed as main contractor for this iconic project by the V&A. We look forward to supporting the V&A in the development of this facility which will allow their unrivalled collections to be stored and explored. This project is part of the V&A’s expansion plans in east London and will take pride of place in our portfolio of work in the South East.”
Claire McKeown, V&A East project director, said: “V&A East is one of the most significant and ambitious developments in the V&A’s history. Our collection and research centre will be a global first, combining a unique visitor attraction with a working museum store that meets the complex and varied needs of the V&A’s diverse collection. It’s an unprecedented and challenging brief, and we were impressed with McLaughlin & Harvey’s ingenious response, particularly their sensitive approach to integrating our large-scale collection objects, architectural fragments and historic interiors into the build. I look forward to having them onboard to realise Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s revolutionary designs as we build an exciting new future in east London.”
