SANAA and Sou Fujimoto Architects shortlisted

Two of Japan’s most renowned architecture firms – SANAA (short for Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) and Sou Fujimoto Architects – have been shortlisted for a historic redesign of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The ambitious redevelopment project is called Louvre – New RenaissanceFrench President Emmanuel Macron announced earlier this year that the museum would undergo its most significant transformation since I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid in the 1980s.

While the museum’s daring heist has recently attracted world headlines, these architects are focused on a bold move of another kind – reimagining one of the world’s most iconic cultural landmarks for the next century.

Louvre – New Renaissance Project

The competition launched in June and attracted more than 100 entries from around the world. After review by the Technical Committee and an international jury chaired by Marc Guillaume, five interdisciplinary teams were selected to advance to the second phase. Among them, Dubuisson Architecture and SANAA and Sou Fujimoto Atelier Paris and Sou Fujimoto Architects are leading the two most anticipated proposals.

The Neo-Renaissance project envisions a comprehensive transformation of the Louvre, spanning architectural, urban and landscape interventions as well as digital and environmental upgrades. Key plans include easing congestion beneath I.M. Pei’s Pyramid with a new entrance, creating a dedicated gallery for the Mona Lisa, and enhancing visitor circulation and experience. The museum welcomes more than 12 million visitors each year, and the renovation aims not only to preserve the museum’s heritage but also to prepare it for the next century as the world’s most visited museum.

For the team, responsibilities are carefully divided: Dubuisson Architecture and SANAA will oversee set design, museum photography and urban planning, while Dan Pearson Studio will manage landscape design. Paris-based Sou Fujimoto Studio will collaborate with Sou Fujimoto Architects, working with Ducks Scéno on scenography and museum design, while Vogt Paysage is responsible for landscape and urban planning.

SANAA and Sou Fujimoto Architects

Pritzker Prize-winning SANAA founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa are known for their minimalist designs and light-filled spaces, with notable works including the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, the Louvre Lens Museum in northern France, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. The firm’s approach ensures a thoughtful balance between the Louvre’s historic grandeur and understated modern sophistication.

Sou Fujimoto Architects is another leading contemporary Japanese firm known for its poetic interplay between nature and architecture. Highlights of Fujimoto’s work include the L’Arbre Blanc residential tower in Montpellier, the Naoshima Pavilion in Kagawa Prefecture and House NA in Tokyo, which showcase conceptual boldness and environmental sensitivity.

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