Grand Egyptian Museum: project by Shi-Fu Peng

The Irish-Chinese team of Róisín Heneghan & Shi-Fu Peng (Heneghan-Peng Architects) are to design the Grand Egyptian Museum, the future museum – the biggest in the world - to be built be the pyramids of Giza. In second and third place were the Austrian practice Coop Himmelb(l)au and Renato Rizzi from Italy.

These are the results of the weighty international competition – set at the beginning of 2002 involving 1557 professionals from all over the world – which with a budget of 350 million dollars will bring about the construction of the new site for the museum (currently in Cairo) which is to hold over 150,000 exhibits and cover an area of 50 hectares, expected to attract 3 million visitors and researchers each year.

The new building, which will rise up in the desert between the pyramids and the Egyptian capital, has been conceived in such a way as to indicate to visitors the change from the modernity of the city (Alexandria and Cairo) and the ancient cultural heritage of the area (the pyramids). Work is due to start in 2004.

The Grand Museum of Egypt
Technical Committee, Remayah Square
Giza, Egypt
T +(202) 386 5911/17
http://www.gem.gov.eg