Natural History and Science Museums in ‘preliminary’ talks over move to Old Oak Common

The Science Museum and Natural History Museum have both confirmed they have had preliminary talks about opening an outpost at Old Oak Common in west London.

While the world-famous institutions stressed their discussions about moving to the mayoral opportunity area at Wormwood Scrubs were at a tentative stage, the news triggered speculation that the architect for any resulting project would be chosen through a high-profile design competition.

The Science Museum has developed a reputation as a patron of architecture, thanks to a series of contests it has run to appoint architects to several projects at its South Kensington headquarters.

A statement from both museums said: “We can confirm that the Science Museum and Natural History Museum have had discussions regarding Old Oak Common but they are at a very preliminary stage and, at this point of time, the business case still needs to be made.”

According to the Evening Standard a proposed 50,000sq m cultural building with educational facilities would be the “anchor” for a larger cultural quarter which mayor of London Boris Johnson wants for the 18ha site.

The area was earmarked for massive regeneration because it is where Crossrail and HS2 will intersect. Around 25,000 homes are planned. Community coalition London Citizens last week held a rally at City Hall demanding that half should be genuinely affordable to local people.

The Science Museum has 200,000 objects stashed in Blythe House, the vast Victorian edifice in Olympia that starred as MI6 HQ in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It is due to be sold and there is a desire to put many of the artefacts on public display rather than moving them to another storage depot.

The Science Museum appointed Zaha Hadid to design its new maths gallery. And Wilkinson Eyre beat a shortlist featuring AL_A, Haworth Tompkins, Rick Mather, MUMA, Caruso St John and Gareth Hoskins to land the £24 million medicine galleries. Coffey Architects, Nord and Muf are among other practices working on the museum’s Masterplan schemes.

 

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