Museum Buildings, Architects, Photos, Interiors, Designs, News, Images
Museum Buildings : Architecture
Major Architecture Projects from around the world
Museum Buildings
We've selected what we feel are the key examples of Museum Buildings. We aim to include buildings that are either of top quality or interesting, or ideally both.
We cover completed buildings, new building designs, architectural exhibitions and architecture competitions across the world. The focus is on contemporary buildings but information on traditional buildings is also welcome.
We have 6 pages of Museum Buildings selections with links to hundreds of individual project pages.
Museum Buildings : news + key projects (this page)
Museum Architecture : A-F
Contemporary Museum Buildings : G-L
Museum Building Designs : M
Museum Designs : N-R
Museum Architecture Designs : S-Z
Latest Museum Building Designs
Architecture Designs - latest additions to this page, arranged chronologically:
Sorø Art Museum, Sjælland, east Denmark
Design: Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects

photo : Jens Lindhe
Sorø Kunstmuseum - 14 Jun 2013
Yad Va'Shem Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem, Israel - new photos
Design: Safdie Architects

photograph © Adrian Welch
Yad Va'Shem Holocaust Museum - 13 May 2013
The rebuilding of the Yad Va'Shem Holocaust Museum includes a new visitors’ center (Mevoah), a new history museum replacing the existing museum constructed in 1953, a Hall of Names, a synagogue, galleries for Holocaust art, an exhibitions pavilion and a learning and visual center. In addition, new underground parking and facilities for tour buses are located adjacent to a new entrance piazza. The overall program quadruples the permanent exhibition space.
Museum of Handcraft Paper, Gaoligong, China
Design: Trace Architecture Office

photo : AKAA
Museum of Handcraft Paper - 1 May 2013
The museum building is located close to a village at the foot of Gaoligong Mountain, in the province of Yunnan, an area of significant Muslim presence. It provides exhibition space for ancient paper craft and artefacts produced locally.
Design Museum Holon, Tel Aviv, Israel - review + photos by e-architect editor Adrian Welch
Design: Ron Arad

image © DMH
Design Museum Holon - 13 May 2013
The building shows exhibitions about Israeli design, and on our visit was showing bathing suits and related designs. The structure is located on the edge of the traditional city centre, in a cultural quarter which is yet to complete. The building appears as an organic form, but within it is essentially formed by a large upper and a small lower gallery, both rectilinear. As a group we discussed the anomaly of billowing coloured swirls outside and the restrained white spaces within. The spaces might allow curatorial flexibility but the fact that their perimeter wasn't reflected externally concerned us architect visitors as we have all been taught that form should be 'honest' and reflect the form of the space held within.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Design: various architects

photo : Cecilia Koren
Israel Museum - 13 May 2013
The Israel Museum opened in 1965, in a Modernist complex nestled on the Judean Hills near The Knesset - the national parliament building - and the Hebrew University. Since that time, it has become the most eminent cultural institution in the region and one of the leading art and archaeology museums in the world, with collections growing exponentially over the past four decades. Now 45 years later, the museum has reopened after a $100 million expansion and renovation.
UC Davis Art Museum, California, USA
Design: SO – IL

image from architect
UC Davis Art Museum - 2 May 2013
The new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis, will be created by a team of architects and builders intent on redefining the university museum and fostering a new conversation in the arts.
National Maritime Museum Tianjin, north east China
Design: HAO + AI

image from architect
National Maritime Museum Tianjin - 19 Apr 2013
The proposal for the new National Maritime Museum is situated in Northern China, outside the city of Tianjin. The museum is designed to house both new and old maritime items with a focus on celebrating the historical achievements of Chinese naval exploration through out time. HAO and AI, along with three other teams, have been invited to participate in the National Maritime Museum competition, situated outside the city of Tianjin in Northern China.
China Wood Sculpture Museum, Harbin, northern China
Design: MAD Architects

photo : Iwan Baan
China Wood Sculpture Museum Building - 10 Apr 2013
MAD Architects unveiled the completed China Wood Sculpture Museum located in Harbin, China. The 200-meter long building, sheathed in metal, sits nestled in a densely residential area, adding a cultural and surreal essence to the surrounding urban context. Appearing so evident amidst a thriving metropolitan district of Harbin, the China Wood Sculpture Museum sits as a locational anomaly, seemingly out of place, surrounded by a densely populated Chinese-style neighborhood and residential complexes.
Sogn & Fjordane Art Museum, Førde, Norway
C. F. Møller

picture : Oddleiv Apneseth
Sogn & Fjordane Art Museum - 19 Sep 2012
The small Norwegian town of Førde draws its qualities from its interaction with the surrounding mountains, which are visible everywhere, and from Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European mainland, which lies in close proximity to the town. The town's new museum, Sogn & Fjordane Kunstmuseum also draws upon the distinctive landscape for its architectural expression: the museum building lies like a crystal-clear block of ice that has slid down from the surrounding mountains.
Žanis Lipke Memorial Museum, Latvia
Design: ZAIGAS GAILES BIROJS

picture : Ansis Starks
Žanis Lipke Memorial Museum - 13 Aug 2012
During the occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany (1941–1945) more than 60 000 Jews were murdered in concentration camps. Despite some odious figures of Latvian antisemites, other Latvians stood against the Nazi antisemitic policies and tried to save local Jews from execution. The most prominent Latvian saviors of Jews were Mr. Žanis and Mrs. Johanna Lipke – a poor working class couple who hid away more than 50 Jews that Žanis had managed to cheat out of the Riga Ghetto.
Samaranch Memorial Museum, Tianjin, China
Architect: HAO - Holm Architecture Office

image from architects
Samaranch Memorial Museum Building - 13 Aug 2012
The HAO / Holm Architecture Office + Archiland Beijing design for the Samaranch Memorial Museum in Tianjin, China is under construction. After adjusting the design of the competition scheme, the building construction is well under way. The museum building is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
Maritime Xperiential Museum, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore
Michael Graves & Associates

photo Courtesy of Michael Graves Associates
Maritime Xperiential Museum - 10 Jul 2012
International architects and designers, Michael Graves & Associates (MGA) announce the completion of the Maritime Xperiential Museum (MXM) at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in Singapore. The project, lead by MGA Studio head Patrick Burke, marks another phase in RWS’s development. MGA completed Phase 1 in February of 2011, a $4 billion project, which included top-flight hotels, family entertainment, fine dining, and world-class gaming on 121 acres just across Keppel Harbor from downtown Singapore.
Recent Museum Building Designs
Easter Sculpture Museum, Albacete, Spain
Exit Architects

photograph : Fernando Guerra
Easter Sculpture Museum - added 29 Apr 2012
This building project was the result of an ideas competition organized by the Hellín Municipality. The competition rules considered the refurbishment of the Casa del Conde as well as the construction of an extension on the plot area former occupied by some small service buildings of the house.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, USA
Renzo Piano Building Workshop

© Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Boston - 12 Jan 2012
Opening of the New Wing and Restored Historic Galleries to Public on January 19. Building extension designed by Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect Renzo Piano
Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Brooks + Scarpa

picture from architects
Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh - 1 Oct 2011
The Depot District contains Raleigh’s only significant collection of buildings related to the heyday of railroad transportation and shipping in the Capital City. By recycling this important building, CAM preserves an important part of Raleigh’s history and demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and leadership in historic preservation.
Museo de al Memoria de Andalucía, Granada, southern Spain
Alberto Campo Baeza

photo : Javier Callejas
Andalucía Museum of Memory
Pavilion, Lille Museum of Modern Art, France
2hD Architects

image from architect
Lille Museum of Modern Art Building
Recently extended, this building reopened its doors in 2010 with the help of this welcoming pavilion. The pavilion site lies next to the subtle original brick buildings of the museum, within its extensive sculpture gardens, and overlooks the surrounding country park.
Hoki Museum, Chiba, Japan
Nikken Sekkei

image : Harunori Noda
Hoki Museum Building
Museum Architecture - Major Buildings Selection
Museum Building Designs, alphabetical:
Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum, UAE
Jean Nouvel

image from architect
Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum
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Ara Pacis Museum, Rome, Italy
Richard Meier Architects

photograph © Adrian Welch
Ara Pacis Augustae
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Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, Spain
Frank Gehry

image from architect
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
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Chengdu Museum, China
Sutherland Hussey

image from architect
Chengdu Museum building
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The Getty Center, Los Angeles, USA
Richard Meier & Partners

photo © Alice McRae
Getty Center Building
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Glasgow Transport Museum, Scotland
Zaha Hadid Architects

photo © Alice McRae
Glasgow Transport Museum Building
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GRAM - Art Museum, USA
wHY architecture

photo : Chris Barrett@Hedrich Blessing
GRAM Michigan
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Imperial War Museum North, England
Daniel Libeskind Architects

photo © Adrian Welch
Imperial War Museum Manchester
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Jeongok Prehistory Museum, Korea
X-TU

photo from architect
Jeongok Prehistory Museum
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Jewish Museum building, Berlin, Germany
Daniel Libeskind, Architect

photograph © Bitter Bredt
Jewish Museum Berlin
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Liangzhu Culture Museum, China
David Chipperfield Architects

photo © Christian Richters
Liangzhu Culture Museum
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Literaturmuseum der Moderne, Germany
David Chipperfield Architects

photograph © Christian Richters
Museum of Modern Literature, Marbach
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Mercedes-Benz Museum, Germany
UN Studio Architects

photo : Christian Richters
Mercedes-Benz Museum Stuttgart
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Museo Soumaya, Mexico
FREE | Fernando Romero EnterprisE

image from architect
Museo Soumaya
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Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Germany
Architect: Richard Meier

photo © Adrian Welch
Frankfurt Museum Building
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Museum of Contemporary Art, China
Coop Himmelb(l)au

picture : SILKROAD Digital Technology Co. LTD
Museum of Contemporary Art Shenzhen
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Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar
I M Pei

photo Courtesy of the Museum of Islamic Art
Museum of Islamic Art Building
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Museum of Modern Art - MoMA, NY, USA
Yoshio Taniguchi with KPF Architecture

photo : Andrew McRae
MoMA New York + MoMA Extension
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Nanjing Museum, China
Steven Holl Architects

picture from architect
Nanjing Museum of Art & Architecture
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Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, USA
Steven Holl Architects

image : Andy Ryan
Nelson Atkins Museum of Art Building Extension
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Neues Museum Redevelopment, Germany
David Chipperfield Architects

image : David Chipperfield Architects
Neues Museum Building, Berlin
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New Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece
Bernard Tschumi Architect

image : Bernard Tschumi Architects
Acropolis Museum Athens
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New Museum of Contemporary Art, USA
SANAA architects

image from architects
New Museum of Contemporary Art, N.Y.
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Porsche Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
Delugan Meissl

picture © Delugan Meissl Associated Architects
Porsche Museum Building
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, US
Mario Botta / HOK

picture © Andrew McRae
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art |
Smithsonian Museum - Courtyard, USA
Foster & Partners

picture : Nigel Young / Foster + Partners
Smithsonian Institute Building |
More Museum Architecture projects online soon
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Museums in the 21st Century Exhibition Munich - museum designs by key architects

BMW Museum - photo : Marcus Buck, Munich
English Museum Buildings
Whitney Museum Building
Guggenheim Museum New York
Porsche Museum Stuttgart building
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Museum Buildings - page : adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
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