Following the release of seven shortlisted proposals in 2025 through an online gallery, the Foundation for the Development of the Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site has announced the winner of the international design competition for the Museum of Jesus' Baptism at Bethany, Jordan. Managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants, the six-month invited competition brought together architect-led multidisciplinary teams to design a museum and landscape project responding to the sacred character of Al-Maghtas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After finalist interviews conducted by an international Advisory Panel, the team led by Níall McLaughlin Architects (NMLA) was selected as the competition winner.
The museum will be located at Al-Maghtas, also known as "Bethany Beyond the Jordan," on the east bank of the Jordan River, a site widely recognised as the place where John the Baptist baptised Jesus. Long established as a destination for Christian pilgrimage, the area forms part of the wider Baptism Development Zone. Planned to open in 2030 to mark the bimillennial of Christ's baptism, the museum is envisioned as a cultural and spiritual landmark that supports reflection, learning, and cultural exchange while enhancing the experience of visiting the historic site.
Níall McLaughlin Architects' proposal was selected from a shortlist that also included AAU Anastas, heneghan peng architects, Studio Anne Holtrop, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO, Toshiko Mori Architect, and Trahan Architects. The winning scheme was recognised for its immersive spatial narrative and its sensitive response to both the landscape and the adjacent UNESCO site. Organised as an east–west journey, the museum guides visitors from an arid wilderness garden into the building, across a water-filled rift symbolising the Jordan River, and into a planted garden that marks the conclusion of the sequence.
This narrative is reinforced through the project's architectural and site strategy. The eastern entrance and western exit align across a public square, while an open stepped landscape rises gradually onto the roof, allowing visitors to walk across the building as part of the public realm. From this elevated route, visitors can view the Jordan Valley and the historic pilgrimage path leading to the Baptism Site. The building is conceived as a low-lying structure embedded within the terrain, using locally sourced stone and rammed earth techniques informed by Jordanian vernacular architecture.
Social responsibility and low-carbon construction form a key component of the proposal. The design emphasises the use of local labour, skills, and materials to reduce environmental impact while supporting regional knowledge and craftsmanship. The NMLA team is supported by Engicon as local consultant, Arup for daylight and shadow studies, and Studio ZNA for lighting design. The landscape strategy, led by Kim Wilkie Landscape, introduces walled gardens planted with native and scented species, allowing the surrounding wilderness to frame the museum. Exhibition design by Nissen Richards Studio uses variations in light, sound, and material to create an immersive atmosphere structured around the themes of wilderness, water, and witness.
The competition was overseen by an Advisory Panel composed of experts across architecture, landscape, heritage, and museum practice, including Tharwat Almasalha, Barry Bergdoll, Alia Al-Senussi, David B. Greenbaum, Ousama Gabi Ghannoum, Mónica Luengo, Leen A. Fakhoury, and Aziz Husein. The Foundation will now work closely with the Níall McLaughlin Architects–led team to advance the design in coordination with UNESCO, local communities, and international stakeholders, with the museum expected to become a globally significant cultural destination upon completion.
Níall McLaughlin was also recently announced as the recipient of the 2026 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. In other competition news, the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have revealed the seven finalist projects for the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Awards, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Elsewhere, Kistefos Museum has selected Swiss architectural practice Christ & Gantenbein as the winner of its international design competition for a new museum building at the Kistefos site in Jevnaker.
