△ Sackler Courtyard
Exhibition Road is a vibrant cultural center in London, where the original boiler room of the V&A Museum was located. After six years of renovation, this area has been transformed. The new entrance seamlessly connects the museum with its surrounding buildings, reflecting the innovative spirit and cultural industry focus of London’s Albert City district. The urban plan includes the creation of several important multi-use spaces.
Exhibition Road
Sackler Courtyard is the world’s first public courtyard fully tiled in ceramic. Inspired by the rich porcelain heritage of the V&A, over 11,000 handmade ceramic tiles were used to create this distinctive space. The courtyard features a café furnished with pieces specially designed by AL_A and crafted by Moroso. Visitors can admire the stunning architectural details, including the colorful painted decorations on the Henry Cole Wing. This vibrant woolen decoration technique dates back to the Renaissance and was revived by the V&A in the late 19th century. Early art students at the museum created these layered colorful plaster designs.
△ Sackler Courtyard
△ Glass Skylight
Henry Cole Wing and Café
During World War II, the stone screen designed by Aston Webb, the museum’s original architect, suffered significant damage. Both the stone screen and the central entrance leading to the Jade Garden bear bullet holes from that period. AL_A introduced 11 metal doors with perforated patterns between the stone screens, paying tribute to these historical scars.
Aston Webb Stone Screen
Aston Webb Stone Screen Restoration Concept
The newly constructed Blavatnik Hall will transform how visitors experience the V&A Museum and explore its collections. It links the newly established He Hongyi Family Foundation Buddhist Art Exhibition Hall with the Sculpture Exhibition Hall. From within the hall, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the entire garden and end their visit at a newly opened shop. Blavatnik Hall also connects to the famous porcelain steps and the reopened Sackler Art Education Centre, now functioning as a community exhibition space for charitable activities.
Blavatnik Hall
The Sainsbury Exhibition Hall is the UK’s largest multifunctional temporary exhibition space, spanning 1,100 square meters without any internal columns. Beneath this flexible hall lies a full floor dedicated to art management, preservation, and preparation. Extending 18 meters underground, this new space is situated directly beneath the western side of the Grade I-listed V&A building complex.
The bold engineering and construction challenges are showcased through visible steel columns exposed to the public. A section of the crossbeam is painted in bright international orange, symbolizing the weight of the museum’s history and invaluable collections it supports above.
Staircase Leading to the Sainsbury Exhibition Hall
△ Sainsbury Exhibition Hall
Aston Webb Stone Screen
△ Sackler Courtyard
Design Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ Entrance Floor Plan
△ Longitudinal Section
△ Horizontal Section
Project Information
Project Type: Museum
Location: London, UK
Architect: AL_A
Area: 6,360 m²
Year: 2017
Photographer: Hufton+Crow
Manufacturers: Cricursa, Goppion, Koninklijke Tichelaar, Octatube
Engineer: Arup
Surveyor: Aecom
Lighting Design: DHA Designs
Historical Advisor: Giles Quarme & Associates
Planning Consultant: DP9
Project Manager: Alice Dietsch
Main Contractor: Wates
Subcontractor: PAYE
Other Contractors: Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum – porcelain tiles; Octatube – oculus; Midland Alloy – Aston Webb Screen gates; Astins – gallery ceiling; EE Stairs – gallery staircase; Cornish Concrete – stepped terrace; Mazorati Ronchetti – café bar
Lead Architect: Amanda Levete
Project Architect: Matt Wilkinson
Design Team: Ho-Yin Ng, Maximiliano Arrocet, Alex Bulygin, Blandine Plenard, Chiara Zaccagnini, Fernando Ruiz Barberan, Filippo Previtali, Giulio Pellizzon, Matthew Riley, Michael Levy, Michael Wetmore, Patrick Drewello, Peter Angrave, Peter King, Raffael Petrovic, Robert Rice, Rumen Stefanov, Song Jie Lim, Stefano Bertotti, Stephen Citrone, Win Assakul
Client: Victoria & Albert Museum
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