Musée du Louvre: The Latest Architecture and News

The French Minister of Culture announced on Monday, May 18, 2026, the winner of the "Louvre–Nouvelle Renaissance" competition. The team selected to transform the world-renowned Musée du Louvre is led by STUDIOS Architecture, New York-based Selldorf Architects, and landscape architecture firm BASE Paysagiste. The renovation initiative was announced in January 2025 as a major intervention for the historic complex following concerns expressed by the museum's director regarding its deteriorating condition. The first round of the competition took place in June, with a shortlist of five teams revealed in October. According to French authorities, the project has a dual objective: to repair and transform the building to preserve its collections while updating it to meet contemporary public expectations, including sustainability requirements that will pose significant challenges for the museum in the coming decades.

It is undeniable that, at first glance, the idea of a Louvre in Abu Dhabi or a Centre Pompidou in Brazil may seem somewhat disconcerting. The image of these museums, internationally renowned, appears in many ways inseparable from their original cultural contexts. And to some extent, it truly is. The Louvre, deeply rooted in the history of France as a former fortress and later royal residence, embodies a set of invaluable heritage values, further amplified by I. M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid intervention in 1989. The Pompidou, meanwhile, is remembered as a historic turning point: by redefining the concept of public infrastructure through radically unconventional architecture, it marked the first time culture drew in mass audiences.

+ 8

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a significant renovation plan for the Louvre, following concerns from the museum's director about the building's deteriorating condition. The project includes the creation of a new grand entrance and broader refurbishments across the historic site.

The renovation comes after a letter from Louvre director Laurence des Cars to the French Cultural Ministry highlighted serious maintenance issues affecting both visitors and staff. According to the letter, first published in Le Parisien, conditions inside the museum have become increasingly difficult, with visitors lacking space to rest, insufficient food and restroom facilities, and outdated signage in need of a complete redesign. The letter also pointed to climate control issues, describing a greenhouse effect inside the 36-year-old glass Pyramid designed by I.M. Pei, as well as hazardous temperature fluctuations and leaks in other parts of the building.

The Louvre Museum in Paris has announced the American-French consortium WHY Architecture -BGC as the winner of an international competition for the exhibition design of the museum's ninth department, dedicated to Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art. The 5,500-square-meter project aims to offer a more balanced and connected narrative of the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic civilizations, fostering a greater understanding of the influences and relationships between artistic expressions of these historical regions. The spaces are expected to open to the public in 2027.

As one of the wonders of the world, the Egyptian pyramids are steeped in rich history and shrouded in mystery. Using their unparalleled resources to create structures on a scale that had never been seen before, the ancients used the pyramid shape to construct structurally resilient and visually powerful icons, surviving the ravages of time. Presenting a new definition in terms of monumentality, these architectural marvels remain a timeless and influential form for design concepts today.

Although its origins are historical in nature, this iconic structure is resurfacing in many architectural projects around the world, modern pyramid architecture for a range of different functions and applications. From sustainable building, museums, malls and residential structures, the pyramid typology is visually enthralling and can be constructed in a range of different materials and environments.

+ 6

Videos

Airbnb has partnered with the Musée du Louvre to offer a unique experience for one lucky winner to sleep underneath the museum’s iconic Pyramid for one night. On April 30th, the winner will take up residence within I.M Pei’s famous 1989 addition to the Parisian complex, part of an elaborate “night at the museum” experience.

Winning joint first prize in the recent competition hosted by the Louvre museum, Alberto Campo Baeza and Raphaël Gabrion have proposed a dark, cubic volume for the combined conservation facility and gallery to be built in Liévin. Though the final commission for the project was awarded to the other first place winner, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the proposal by Campo Baeza and Gabrion offers an interesting take on the relationship between art and architecture.

+ 4

The Musée du Louvre and the Nord-Pas de Calais region has selected Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) to build a new conservation and storage facility for the Louvre in Liévin, northern France (Nord-Pas-de-Calais). Built primarily for study and research, the 20,000-square-meter "landscape building" will feature a series of vaulted light-filled conservation studios and storage spaces topped with a lush green roof.

“The consortium of architects, headed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, has succeeded in taking the specific needs of properly preserving and accessing the Louvre’s collections, and turning them into a first-class architectural creation," said Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre.