Amanda Levete to design V&A extension

The practice saw off a shortlist that featured Heneghan Peng Architects, Jamie Fobert Architects, Jun Aoki & Associates, Michael Maltzen Architecture, Snøhetta & Hoskins and Tony Fretton Architects.

The shortlist was whittled down from 110 expressions of interest, received in September 2010.

New galleries for international exhibitions, a public courtyard for installations and events and an entrance into the museum from the newly developed landscaped road will all come out of the project.

Amanda Levete says her new design, pictured here from above, will give a ‘palpable and subtle expression of what is below’.

Levete, who established her practice in 2009, says the design, which hints at the gallery space below, ‘makes the invisible visible’. She adds, ‘The pattern of the courtyard derives from the structure and the richness of the V&A’s collection.’

Levete says, ‘This isn’t just about a gallery, it’s an opportunity to create a new public space for London – South Kensington’s Drawing Room.’

A £35m budget has been set aside for the project, which is expected to take five years to complete.

Architectural models of the winning entry and the other shortlisted entrants will be on display in the V&A’s Sackler Centre until 3 April.