The incredible Exhibition Road Quarter new V&A Museum entrance was previewed yesterday and opens tomorrow evening with a flourish and a week of special activities labelled the ‘Reveal’ Festival.
This beautiful new entrance includes a huge underground excavation which becomes the new Sainsbury Wing and was designed by Amanda Levete Associates with engineering undertaken by Arup Associates.
The entrance opens onto a slanting huge courtyard with a chic cafe at the top, an incredible light well stainless steel and glass structure at mid level and a sloping entrance in to the main V&A museum building.
On the left a staircase descends to the Sainsbury Gallery, a cavernous space for moving exhibitions where the light well has a beautiful effect.
It’s a huge project and a boost to the moral of London as it’s a truly 21st century world class project.
I loved so much of its photo pleasing angles and curves, the narrowing of the glass from the downstairs new shop to the start of the upstairs cafe, the grooved Instagram friendly pavement, the stairs that seamlessly curve from the wall and especially the final touch of pink walls in both the women’s and men’s loos.
Do go and take a look, its a fabulous project and the V&A Museum can be rightly proud of this achievement.

The new Exhibition Road Quarter entrance of the V&A Museum with the light well and in background cafe and shop

The narrowing glass from the new shop at the V&A Museum in South Kensington

The grooved and ridged patterns of the Instagram friendly ceramic courtyard at the V&A Museum Exhibition Road Quarter

The patterns of the light well from the exterior above ground at the V&A Museum new Amanda Levete designed entrance

One of my favourite parts of the ceramic courtyard is this seamless slide of the steps from the wall

Heading down to the Sainsbury Gallery colour shifts to a dense shiny black with blonde wood stairs at the V&A Museum

Solid red pillars anchor the downstairs areas at the new V&A Museum Exhibition Road entrance

Even on a dull grey day the light well exposure was captivating in the new V&A Sainsbury Gallery

Structured formality for the new V&A Museum shop at the Exhibition Road Quarter entrance

Everywhere you look there are views to photograph, this looks up to the cafe from the shop at the V&A Museum new entrance and the tunnel leads to the loos

Almost but not quite my favourite part, the ladies room at the new V&A Museum Exhibition Road entrance, so beautiful and the touch of pink is so unexpected
All photos by Smudgetikka – all rights reserved
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