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Horniman Museum inviting tenders for £8.6m redevelopment

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Horniman Natural History Gallery. Photo by Sophia Spring

£8.6m project is planned to complete in 2026. The selected team will “re-invigorate and re-interpret” spaces at the museum.

London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens is inviting tenders for an architect-led design team for a major redevelopment of parts of its gardens and Natural History Gallery.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens is looking for an architect, landscape architect, structural engineer, services engineer, lighting designer, principle designer and fire engineer, according to the contract notice.

Named ‘Nature + Love’, the £8.6m project is planned to complete in February 2026. The selected team will “re-invigorate and re-interpret” outdoor and indoor spaces at the museum, Architects’ Journal reports.

“The Horniman Museum and Gardens is planning a major redevelopment of parts of its gardens and its Natural History Gallery, to be completed by early 2026,” the brief says.

It adds: “The re-invigorated and re-interpreted outdoor and indoor spaces and associated collections will enable us to celebrate our love and need for the natural world and encourage an inclusive and positive movement for environmental change amongst our audiences.

Tenders for architect-led design team

The museum's clocktower

“The redevelopment will span three gardens and two gallery spaces.”

The Horniman Museum and Gardens houses approximately 350,000 objects. The collection boasts internationally important anthropological items and musical instruments, as well as taxidermied animals.

‘Nature + Love’ includes the development of a new nature-themed play area and children’s café, as well as a sustainable gardening zone. The museum’s Natural History Gallery will be redisplayed.

Back in 2019, Studio Egret West won a contract to re-masterplan the site, enhancing the visitor experience and making the Horniman Museum and Gardens more accessible.

“Studio Egret West stood out for us during the tender process because of their extensive experience, their consultative practice, their enthusiasm for the Horniman as visitors themselves, and their creative yet realistic take on what our future could look like,” said Nick Merriman, chief executive of the Horniman.

The deadline for applications is March 9. View the contract notice for more information.

Images: Horniman Museum and Gardens

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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