Japanese practice Kengo Kuma and Associates, working with UK firms BDP and MICA, has been selected to design a new extension to London's National Gallery, winning the high-profile competition ahead of Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Foster + Partners, Farshid Moussavi Architecture with Piercy & Company, Selldorf Architects, and Studio Seilern Architects.

The Architects' Journal reported that the competition, known as Project Domani and organised by Colander Associates, attracted 65 submissions, with six teams shortlisted for the second design stage, each receiving a £50,000 honorarium to participate.

The new wing will occupy the site of St Vincent House, a late-1960s block north of the main building that the gallery acquired nearly 30 years ago for expansion purposes, and will deliver between 5,500 sq m and 7,000 sq m of new gallery space. It will be Kengo Kuma's first project in England.

The scheme features Portland stone and stepped massing, and creates new public realm linking Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. The jury's citation noted the design's sensitivity to the gallery's Grade I listed exterior, its use of vaults and arches on the main gallery floor and a more geometric upper level, and its integration of a rooftop garden and social value framework.

John Booth, chair of the National Gallery's board of trustees and jury lead, said the winning proposal was a unanimous choice, describing it as a beautiful design that is sensitive to the existing building and will help unite two of London's most important outdoor spaces.

The project forms the third and final stage of a redevelopment masterplan launched by the gallery in 2018. The standstill period allowing challenges to the appointment runs until 16 April 2026, with completion planned for 2030.

Get the full details on Kengo Kuma's National Gallery competition win and design proposals.