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The namesake London practice of newly minted RIBA Royal Gold Medalist Níall McLaughlin has been announced as the winner of an invited international competition seeking design concepts for a future museum in Bethany, Jordan, that will be dedicated “to the history and significance of baptism in the Christian tradition.” Per a statement released by competition organizer Malcolm Reading Consultants, the concept submitted by Níall McLaughlin Architects (NMLA) impressed the client, the Foundation for the Development of the Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site, and an advisory panel with its “flair for multi-layered and immersive storytelling that focuses on communicating baptism’s power to offer spiritual renewal and new life. In scale and form, the proposal answered the brief’s call for a museum that ‘evokes wonder and humility in the visitor and responds sensitively to the site.’”

Image © Níall McLaughlin Architects

The news of NMLA’s selection comes five months after the unveiling of a seven-team shortlist of firms vying for the estimated $30 million project—described as “Christian-centered but welcoming and inclusive to all”—that will serve as an anchor institution of the planned Baptism Development Zone along the Jordan River. Joining NMLA as finalist firms were Studio Anne Holtrop, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, Heneghan Peng Architects, Trahan Architects, Toshiko Mori Architect, and AAU Anastas, a Palestinian practice with offices in Bethlehem and Paris.

Image © Níall McLaughlin Architects

The museum, to be built with rammed earth and locally sourced stone, is envisioned as a gateway to an adjacent UNESCO World Heritage site on the east bank of the Jordan known as Baptism Site — “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” or Al-Maghtas. The archaeological site, widely believed to be the place where John baptized Jesus, has long been a popular destination for Christian pilgrims.

Joining NMLA on the winning project team is landscape architect Kim Wilke Studio and exhibition designer Nissen Richards Studio, along with Arup (daylight and shadow studies), Studio ZNA (lighting consultant), and Engicon (local consultant).  “The challenge of the design was to find a way to allow the architecture to mediate between a charged landscape and the sacred narratives that arose within it. It demanded a building that could work with allegory,” reads a joint statement from the NMLA-led team. “At the same time, the project needed to use local labor, skills, and resources to achieve something with a sense of social responsibility and low carbon expenditure.”

Next, the Foundation will work with NMLA to hone the winning design concept, working in coordination with UNESCO and in partnership with local communities and stakeholders. The museum is slated to open in 2030, marking the bimillennial of Jesus’ baptism.

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