The British practice saw off around 300 entries to land the £30 million job last May.
The City of Bayeux launched the competition in August 2021 to revamp the museum, which has been housed in the 17th-century Grand Seminaire in Bayeux since 1983. The brief asked teams to: improve the conditions and presentation of the tapestry as a ‘spectacular singular object’; enhance the reception and museum experience; and address ‘the urban integration of the museum and its contemporary extension’.
The wedge-shaped extension has been primarily designed to allow visitors a ‘panoramic view’ of the historic 70m-long tapestry which tells the story of the events surrounding the conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy.
Meanwhile, the ‘dynamic lines’ of the scheme’s roof aim to lessen ‘the perception of the building size, reflecting the intimate scale of the houses adjoining the extension and, in its horizontality, the monumental dimensions of the tapestry within’.
The wider project also involves refurbishing the former Bayeux seminary’s architectural features, bringing ‘it back to life through adapting it to its new uses’ with ‘clearly delineated interfaces between historic and new’.
Source:RSHP
Visualisation of a possible treatment of the facade of RSHP’s proposed overhaul of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum (as published February 2024)
Musées de Bayeux conservateur en chef Antoine Verney said: ‘In the project proposed by RSHP, we immediately appreciated the intelligent dialogue between the volumes of the former 17th-century seminary and the contemporary setting entirely dedicated to the display of the work, characterised by an architectural gesture of pure lines.
‘[This has] led to the creation of a completely new visitor experience with the aim to improve the conditions for welcoming visitors to a museum of international renown.’
RSHP has previous museum experience in France having designed the Louvre Liévin Conservation Centre completed in 2019, while practice founder Richard Rogers famously co-designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Practice associate Theo Pagnon said: ‘This project aims to enhance the legacy of the Bayeux Tapestry and to promote the institution. It is also an exceptional opportunity for our British architectural practice to begin a new chapter in an already prolific and valuable relationship between Normandy and England.’
The revamped museum is scheduled to open between 2027 and 2028.
Source:RSHP
Elevation – Rue aux Coqs with tree facade
The museum design team
Lead architect RSHP
Heritage architect Lympia
Landscape architect Bassinet Turquin Paysage
Museography/conservation FL&Co
Exhibition design, graphics and signage Atelier Brückner
Multimedia and audiovisual design Create
Lighting design Reflet
Structural, mechanical and electrical engineering Ingérop
Cost consultant VPEAS
Acoustics Kahle acoustics
Source:RSHP
Bayeux Tapestry Museum (plan)