British Museum's largest-ever renovation includes new conservation centre

The British Museum has embarked on the most extensive renovation in its history, led by director Hartwig Fischer. The centrepiece is the British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) and built by Mace, scheduled to open in 2018. The five-pavilion complex, partly underground, will house conservation labs, exhibition galleries, storage, and logistics for international loans. It addresses critical space shortages: of 8 million objects, only about 50,000 are on display. The project is a finalist for the Stirling Prize. Internally, new galleries for Chinese and South Asian art open November 2017, followed by the Albukhary Foundation Galleries of the Islamic World in autumn 2018. The route to the Rosetta Stone will be redesigned to ease crowding. The museum, founded by Sir Hans Sloane in 1753, aims to remain globally competitive through expansion and better visitor flow.