Louvre Renewal: Redesigning Access and Experience

A winner has been announced in the competition organized for Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance, an ambitious renovation and transformation plan that aims to adapt the Louvre Museum in Paris to contemporary challenges. The selected scheme was drawn up by Studios Architecture (James Cowey) in collaboration with Selldorf Architects (Annabelle Selldorf), and Base Landscape Architecture for the landscape and urban design.

The competition attracted over a hundred international entries and shortlisted five, including those submitted by AL_A, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Sou Fujimoto Architects. The winning design stood out for the quality of its architectural idea and its integration into the urban, landscape, and heritage context, as well as its capacity to enhance the visitor experience and reorganize the flow of movement within the museum.

Centered on the Grande Colonnade, it restores and upgrades the Louvre's historic east facade through a modern but respectful intervention. The striking symmetry along the east-west axis and the clarity of the lines guide the overall composition, reinforcing the connection between the city, the palace, and the museum. The project revitalizes the historic urban axis and proposes new underground entrances, exhibition spaces, rest areas, bookstores, and restaurants, all with a view to making access and circulation smoother. In addition, the plan features a space specially reserved the Mona Lisa, new areas for temporary exhibitions, and a significant landscaping transformation of the museum's moats and esplanades.