France unveils architects to transform Louvre
The project will add a separate Mona Lisa space and a new entrance as officials cite security, congestion and heritage concerns.
- On Monday, the Culture Ministry selected an international team including STUDIOS Architecture Paris, Selldorf Architects, and Base Landscape Architecture for the €700-800 million 'Louvre – New Renaissance' project.
- The Louvre Museum currently receives around 9 million visitors annually, far exceeding the 4 million capacity of its 1988 entrance, prompting this overhaul to ease congestion.
- Plans include a new entrance on the eastern facade and a separate space for the Mona Lisa, which attracts around 20,000 visitors daily, allowing independent access with a separate ticket.
- While officials estimate costs between €700 million and €800 million, the French Court of Auditors projects a €1.15 billion price tag, highlighting budgetary disagreement.
- Expected to take around five years, the project follows a parliamentary inquiry chaired by MP Alexandre Portier regarding security concerns and an €88 million jewelry theft in October.
15 Articles
15 Articles
STUDENTS Architecture and Selldorf have won the public competition that aims to restore the world's most visited museum. The controversial "New Renaissance of the Louvre" must be completed in 2031.
The Ministry of Culture has unveiled this Monday the architects of the future Louvre: the agencies STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects will pilot a redevelopment estimated at 660 million euros. With the Parisien, the mayor (PS), of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, says, "a little bit of a...
Architects Behind Frick Renovation Tapped for Louvre’s ‘New Renaissance’
The French government announced Monday morning the team of architects who have been selected to overhaul the Louvre in Paris, concluding a protracted selection process marked by staff strikes and the lingering investigation into the jewel heist. The Paris office of STUDIOS Architecture will lead the project, which includes the creation of new galleries and a new lobby. The firm, an international collective founded in 1985 with offices in New …
The Studios Architecture and Selldorf Architects project was selected on Monday, May 18, 2026, by the jury of the Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance competition. The two agencies have to renovate the most visited museum in the world in order to improve the reception of its 8.5 million annual visitors.
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