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France announced on Monday the selection of an international architecture team to carry out the overhaul of the Louvre museum in Paris, a project that includes a dedicated space for the Mona Lisa and a new museum entrance.
The winning team consists of STUDIOS Architecture Paris, the French branch of an international firm, and Selldorf Architects, a New York-based firm founded by a German architect.
A French landscape and urban planning agency also forms part of the group, chosen by a jury from a shortlist of five candidates.
The culture ministry said the proposal was selected based on the quality of its architectural approach and its compatibility with heritage, urban, and landscape considerations, as well as security factors.
The Louvre described the winning design as establishing a link between the city, the palace, and the museum.
STUDIOS Architecture Paris previously contributed to the design of the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris and the LUMA Foundation in Arles.
Selldorf Architects is known for its work on the historic mansion housing the Frick Collection in New York and the National Gallery in London.
The project, announced last year by President Emmanuel Macron under the name "Louvre-New Renaissance," is estimated by Macron's office to cost between $730 million and $830 million (700 to 800 million euros). The French Court of Auditors has raised the figure to 1.15 billion euros.
Under the plan, Leonardo da Vinci's painting, which draws around 20,000 visitors per day, will be made independently accessible from the rest of the museum, with a separate ticket required to view it.
A new entrance will also be added to the eastern facade of the building to ease congestion at the existing glass-and-metal pyramid entry point, which was designed for four million visitors per year when it opened in 1988. The museum currently receives around 9 million visitors annually.
The renovation comes amid a period of difficulties for the Louvre. In October, the French crown jewels worth $100 million were stolen from the museum.
The institution has also faced strikes, a ticket fraud scheme estimated to have cost around $11.7 million, a water leak, and ongoing structural, maintenance, and security concerns.
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