National Gallery Sainsbury Wing | Selldorf Architects

Selldorf Architects’ Design Statement

For its bicentenary, the National Gallery London has embarked on transformative capital projects to create a more welcoming, inclusive and accessible Gallery that engages its prominent Trafalgar Square location.

The scope of work includes the remodelling of select areas within the Grade I listed Sainsbury Wing - originally designed by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates and opened in 1991 - as well as the Research Centre, the surrounding public realm, and the addition of a new Supporters’ House within the Wilkins Building.

The first phase, which opens to the public on May 10 2025, integrates historic architecture with modern functionality, ensuring an arrival experience that more graciously accommodates millions of annual visitors.

The Wilkins Building and the Sainsbury Wing stand as separately identifiable works of architecture, with the Sainsbury Wing occupying its location as a clear and unique piece of postmodern architecture that uniquely responds to its counterpart (the Wilkins Building), and also to the urban context of Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall and to the East, across the Square, to St Martin-in-the-Fields.   

Working closely with Purcell, heritage architects for the project, we began by researching the parti of the Sainsbury Wing to fully understand the intent of the architectural layout and vocabulary of the Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates' (VSBA) building. This enabled us to design a series of well-considered changes that respect and correspond with the original character of the building while providing a new, more inclusive and welcoming entry to one of the world’s great art collections.

A new “Square within a Square” has been created by the removal of an existing non-public courtyard on the western edge of the Wilkins building. This larger space in front of the Sainsbury Wing signals it as the new, main entry point allowing for more comfortable public gathering in front of the building and alongside Jubilee Walk, while creating a stronger visual connection between Wilkins and the Sainsbury Wing at grade.

Additionally, by replacing the original dark glass of the Sainsbury Wing's façade with contemporary, conservation-safe, clear glass, the building presents a more welcoming public face. One is able to see the activity in the building and to gain a sense of orientation as glimpses of people on the stairs and the mezzanine are now possible. Likewise, once inside, the connections back to the Square and across Jubilee Walk to the Wilkins Building are more readily apparent. 

The black external gates in the loggia of Sainsbury have been repainted zinc colored grey, the hinges modified to enable them to stack to the side to create full-width openings. Upon entering the building, visitors encounter a new streamlined security process in an enlarged enclosed vestibule that will reduce queuing lines. Together these changes to the arrival threshold create a greater sense of openness and welcome and more easily accommodate a larger volume of visitors. 

When Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates (VSBA) were commissioned for the Sainsbury Wing in the late 1980s the main driver for the project was the need for more galleries to house the Gallery’s permanent collection. Once those were located on the second floor of the new wing, to connect with the galleries of the Wilkins Building, the grand staircase quickly evolved to bring visitors to the art. The entry floor in particular was intended to merely be a transitory ‘pass-through’ space.  In the original design one enters into a dark and low compressed space that is in sharp contrast to the three-storey staircase leading to the Renaissance galleries. 

The current renovation maintains the experience of entering into the compressed VSBA space, now legible as a mezzanine juxtaposed with two newly created double height spaces to the east and west of the entry vestibule. This re-envisioned space provides room for orientation and lingering with a café, lounge area, museum shop and information desk, while the mezzanine houses a restaurant, bar and bookshop.  By relocating the large cloakroom and bookshop the amount of public open space on the ground floor is increased by 60 percent, and a new visual connection is created across the ground floor and mezzanine areas, delivering a substantially different spatial condition. 

Elements of the vocabulary of the existing fabric which contribute to the character of the ground floor, including the two large, rusticated pillars, and the Egyptian motif columns as well as the curved and incised limestone donor wall, have been relocated to maintain the character yet accommodate substantially improved visibility, wayfinding and circulation for visitors. The oversized, non-structural columns on the ground floor have been removed and the remaining ones have been attenuated to aid in the new more intuitive visitor circulation. The grand staircase is foregrounded and unaltered. 

With the two new double-height spaces and the clear glass, daylight is increased throughout the foyer. Natural light is supplemented with new LED lighting, including a series of cast Murano glass plates diffusers in the Sainsbury ground floor ceiling.

Along with the modified programmatic and spatial changes, questions of definition of space and surfaces arise. We have chosen to build on the original mannerist approach utilising related materiality and expression, including Pietra Serena limestone for the remaining structural columns on the ground and mezzanine floors in continuity with the existing honed columns of the same Pietra Serena on the second floor. The cleft finish of the first-floor curved mezzanine slab edge corresponds with the masonry rustication on pillars and stair wall. In this way, the new design interventions seek to distinguish themselves while embracing and engaging with the most distinct and exciting elements in the space. 

The theatre on the lower level has been renovated with new carpeting, seat upholstery and lighting. Its Anteroom has also doubled in size by relocating the public toilets so that the newly enlarged space with banquette seating can better accommodate pre-theatre and intermission attendees. 

In the Wilkins building, office space overlooking Trafalgar Square has been repurposed as a new amenity and hospitality space for supporters of the Gallery. The Research Centre will be refurbished as part of Phase 2, along with the completion of a new link below Jubilee Walk, that will be accessible from the Theatre Level of the Sainsbury Wing. This will enhance the public connection between the two buildings, which is now only possible at the upper gallery level, and will provide for greater access to the newly refurbished Research Centre. Both the Research Centre and the Supporters’ House will be accessible via a new on-grade entry made possible by the removal of the courtyard on the western side of the Wilkins building. The public realm is further enhanced with new terrazzo bench seating made with reconstituted Portland limestone.

The needs of the Gallery, and the expectations of contemporary museum visitors, have evolved greatly in the thirty plus years since the Sainsbury Wing opened. This suite of changes adds another layer of richness to the buildings allowing them to continue to be enjoyed by a new generation of visitors as they encounter the wonders and beauty of the collection and all the programs that the Gallery has to offer.

National Gallery London NG200
Sainsbury Wing

TIMELINE

Two Centuries of Architectural Evolution

The story of the National Gallery since it first opened its doors to the Wilkins building is one of continuous change, accommodating curators’ requirements for caring and displaying the collection together with shifts in the way growing numbers of visitors look to use museums. This story is not unique to the National Gallery. It mirrors the way museums as both institutions and buildings reflect cultural and social change. This has led many to become more welcoming to regular visitors and to members of the public who might be making their first visit to an art collection.

1824 - Founding of the National Gallery collection. The government buys 38 paintings from the recently deceased insurance broker and philanthropist John Julius Angerstein putting them on free public display at his former home, 100 Pall Mall. They remain here except for a brief sojourn at 105 Pall Mall, due to subsidence at No 100, until 1834.

1832 - Work begins on a purpose-built home for the growing collection on the north side of what is to become Trafalgar Square (1840-44). The chosen design is by William Wilkins (1778-1839), architect and classical scholar. Wilkins hopes to incorporate the capacious Kings Mews (1732) of the Royal Stables designed by William Kent, but the government and trustees want a wholly new building. Designs for the National Gallery were also submitted by John Nash and C R Cockerell.

1838 - Wilkins’ building opens. The east wing is occupied by the Royal Academy of Arts.

1857 - The National Gallery resists a move to South Kensington.

1860 - A long gallery added by James Pennethorne (since demolished).

1867 - The Royal Academy of Arts moves to Piccadilly.

1869 - Plans for a complete rebuilding of the overcrowded National Gallery. E M Barry draws up an ambitious design modelled partly on St Paul’s Cathedral. A decision is made to extend the Wilkins’ building instead with a sequence of eight opulent Neo-Renaissance galleries completed in 1876.

1884-1887 - Major new galleries added by Sir John Taylor.

1887-1911 - Department of Works makes several additions and alterations.

1897 - Tate Gallery opens, relieving pressure on the National Gallery.

1928 - Addition of privately funded Mond Room to house the collection of Dr Ludwig Mond, chemist and industrialist, bequeathed to National Gallery.

1929-30 - Addition of Beaux-Arts style Duveen Gallery financed by British art dealer Sir Joseph Deveen.

1940 - Collection sent to caverns at Manod slate quarry near Blaenau Ffestiniog for safekeeping during the Second World War.

1958 - Government purchases the Hampton site, former home of Hampton’s Furniture Store destroyed by incendiary bombs during the 1940 Blitz. Site used as open-air car park from the late 1950s to the 1980s.

1960s - Infilling of West Wing courtyards.

1970-75 - New Modernist North Galleries by G Pearce and W Kendall, Department of Environment Directorate of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings.

1981 - Competition held for new wing on Hampton site incorporating lettable office to pay for the project.

The shortlisted schemes are by:

Ahrends, Burton and Koralek (ABK) - Winner.
Shepherd, Robson and Partners
Covell Matthews Wheatley
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)
Raymond Spratley Partnership
Arup Associates
Richard Rogers

1984 - In May, the Prince of Wales likens the ABK design to a ‘monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend.’ In September, Patrick Jenkin, Secretary of State for the Environment, refuses planning permission.

1985 - April. Simon, Timothy and John Sainsbury offer to fund a new wing free of the office component. A new design competition results in a shortlist of:

Harry Cobb
Colquhoun and Miller
Jeremy Dixon/BDP
Piers Gough - pl
James Stirling, Michael Wilford and Associates
Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown - Winner.

1988-91 - Construction and completion of the Post-Modern style Sainsbury Wing. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II, July 1991.

2004-05 - New East Wing public entrance and visitor amenities by Dixon Jones.

2017 – National Gallery general entry visitors are directed to use the Sainsbury Wing entrance for the first time.

2018 - Sainsbury Wing listed Grade I.

2021 - Competition for design proposals to upgrade the Sainsbury Wing. Shortlist, announced in April:

Asif Khan
Caruso St John Architects
David Chipperfield Architects
David Kohn Architects
Selldorf Architects - Winner
Witherford Watson Mann Architects

2021 - September, Selldorf Architects with Purcell appointed.

2022 - February, initial proposals revealed by Selldorf Architects in association with Purcell, Vogt Landscapes, Arup, AEA Consulting, Pentagram, Kaizen, Kendrick Hobbs.

2022 - August, Planning submitted to Westminster City Council.

2022 - December, Planning consent granted.

2023 - Revised proposals approved.

2023 - March, groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction

2025 - Work completed on Sainsbury Wing, Phase 1.

PROJECT CREDITS

Project address: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, United Kingdom

Architecture Team
Selldorf Architects: Design Architect
Purcell: Heritage Architect
Vogt: Landscape Design

National Gallery Leadership
Director: Gabriele Finaldi
Deputy Director: Paul Gray
Project Director NG200: Sarah Younger

Project Team (consultants)
Client Project Management: The NG200 Project
Project Manager and Cost Consultant: Gardiner & Theobald
Construction Manager: Sir Robert McAlpine with Blue Sky Building
Structural Engineers: Arup
Services Engineers: Arup
Sustainability Engineers: Arup
Pedestrian Flow: Arup
Acoustic Engineers: Arup
Lighting Consultant: L’Observatoire International
Planning consultant: The Planning Lab
Access consultant: David Bonnett Associates
Wayfinding & Graphics: Thomas Matthews
Community Engagement: Kaizen
Access consultant: Jane Simpson Access
Approved Inspectors: AIS Chartered Surveyors
Fire Engineers: OFR Consultants
Security: MFD/Thornton Tomasetti
Business Case Advisory Services: Colley Associates
Communications: London Communications Agency (LCA)
Vibration Consultant: Bickerdike Allen
Café / Espresso Bar furniture design (on ground floor): Studio Linse
Espresso Bar design (on ground floor): Selldorf
Locatelli Restaurant interior (on mezzanine level): LXA
Locatelli cocktail bar (on mezzanine level): Selldorf
Bookshop design (both mezzanine level and ground floor): RFK / Ryder
Gallery Shop (on ground level): RFK / Ryder
Digital visitor experience: The Office of Future Interactions