Museum hoping to move into new home by 2024

Three firms are looking at the main construction package on the new Museum of London site in Farringdon, Building understands.

The high-profile scheme is set to be one of the most fiercely contested in the capital in the coming months with Mace, Lendlease and Bam all believed to be on the shortlist.

Museum of London West Smithfield

How the scheme will look when finished

The procurement process for the job, which is believed to be worth around £250m, has been held up by the covid-19 pandemic with tenders now set to be issued later this year.

Tenders for the first major phase of construction work planned at the site have only just been returned with five firms chasing the enabling, demolition and structural work contract at the site in West Smithfield.

Keltbray, McGee and Careys have been joined on the shortlist by smaller rivals Kilnbridge and Harrow firm Toureen.

Under the museum’s original timetable, work on this part of the job had been expected to start this October and run until the following November.

Works are expected to be completed in sections and will be carried out on two buildings, the Victorian General Market and the 1960s Poultry Market.

The £337m Museum of London project is being designed by Stanton Williams, Asif Khan and Julian Harrap Architects, while Atelier Bruckner has been chosen to design a large subterranean gallery beneath the new Smithfield building.

The museum is moving to the market in 2024 so that its existing Powell & Moya building can be demolished to make way for a concert hall designed by US practice Diller Scofidio & Renfro.

Consultants working on the job include QS Gardiner & Theobald, project manager Buro Four, engineer Arup and structures firm AKT II.

The museum’s plans to move into the market buildings at West Smithfield were given the green light by the City of London Corporation in June.

Smithfield Market, along with Billingsgate and New Spitalfields markets, will all leave their existing sites and move into a combined market at Dagenham Dock in east London drawn up by Chetwoods.

Last week, London firm Paye Stonework and Restoration landed a £9.5m deal to restore the interior of the meat market for the new museum.

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