Design Museum in London Celebrates First Anniversary
Photo © Gareth Gardner
When the Design Museum reopened in its new west London home on November 24, 2017, its directors expected to welcome some 650,000 visitors during the course of its first year—a figure that would have more than tripled the annual numbers seen in its former home. Twelve months later, the museum reports that more than 780,000 people have toured the institution, now housed in an 1962 RMJM building transformed by OMA, Allies and Morrison, and John Pawson.
"This is a great vote of confidence by the public, which shows that there is a significant interest in design and architecture and in the work of the Design Museum," said co-director Alice Black in a statement. "We look forward to an even more exciting second year in Kensington."
For almost 30 years, the Design Museum in London occupied a converted warehouse on the South Bank of the Thames—a compact building with a Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic that chimed with the mission of its founder, Sir Terence Conran: to champion good design for industrial production. The new 100,000-square-foot building in Kensington is three times the size of the old, with spaces for conversation, programs, and hands-on creation as well as exhibitions. Read more about the museum and view additional photography here.
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