A British architectural practice wins the design competition for the project of the future Bayeux Tapestry museum

Under the project management of the City of Bayeux, in close collaboration with the State, proprietor of the work, and with the strong involvement of the Normandy Region and the Department of Calvados, after the award of the public contract has been notified, the winning team will redesign of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, located in the Grand Seminaire since 1983. Several objectives were clearly expressed in the architectural, technical and museographic program given to each candidate at the beginning of the competition: to optimize the conditions of conservation and presentation of the Bayeux Tapestry, to enrich the visitor experience while improving the reception conditions, to control the urban integration of the museum and its contemporary extension.

RSHP was ranked first by the jury for the quality of its architectural and heritage response to the site, the quality of its scenographic, multimedia and audiovisual response, its good functional and technical understanding of the building and outdoor facilities, and finally its consistency in terms of budget with the estimated budget and schedule (opening of the new museum is planned for 2027-2028). Chaired by Patrick Gomont, Mayor of Bayeux, the jury composed of 15 people, including institutional representatives and qualified personalities (historians, architects, landscapers, scenographers), who voted unanimously for the project led by RSHP.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected. It’s both a privilege, and a responsibility, to have been offered the opportunity to design the museum that will house this unique, fragile, emblematic object. As a British practice with a long history of working in France, there’s poetry in being able to contribute to a project that symbolizes the deep connections between our two countries, renewing these bonds and helping the next generations in their rediscovery of the tapestry, itself a unique embodiment of this shared past” says Stephen Barrett, Partner, RSHP.

The sketches of the future Bayeux Tapestry Museum will be unveiled to the public at the beginning of 2024. They will be visible in the chapel, in the information space dedicated to the project, a space with free access during the opening hours of the museum.