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The Wallace Collection has launched a restricted tender, estimated at \u00a3150,000, to appoint a landscape architect to produce RIBA Stage 4 designs and follow\u2011on services for external works as part of a Selldorf\u2011led five\u2011year masterplan to improve access, circulation and environmental controls at the Grade II\u2011listed Hertford House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Wallace Collection has launched a discrete commission to appoint a landscape architect to help realise elements of a wider regeneration of Hertford House, the Grade II\u2011listed London townhouse that houses some 5,500 works from medieval and Renaissance paintings to princely arms and armour. The commission, estimated at \u00a3150,000 (excluding VAT), will produce designs to enhance the museum\u2019s external spaces as part of the institution\u2019s masterplan for the site. According to the tender brief, the successful team will be expected to deliver a full RIBA Stage 4 design and provide subsequent RIBA Stage 5\/6\/7 services to support procurement and onsite delivery. (Sources: the Wallace Collection brief; Selldorf announcement.)<\/p>\n
The landscape appointment follows the Wallace Collection\u2019s recent selection of New York practice Selldorf Architects, working with Purcell and Lawson Ward Studio, to lead a transformational masterplan for Hertford House. The Selldorf announcement frames the brief as a five\u2011year programme to improve access, reimagine circulation and gallery layouts, and upgrade environmental controls while conserving the building\u2019s historic character. Purcell \u2014 named as heritage and conservation lead \u2014 has signalled it will draw on a long history of work at the museum, stressing sensitive adaptation given the house\u2019s listed status. (Sources: the original competition notice; Selldorf press release; Purcell statement.)<\/p>\n
Planned works cover about 6,300m\u00b2 and, in the museum\u2019s description, aim to remedy long\u2011standing operational weaknesses: confusing wayfinding, queueing for tickets, an overcrowded caf\u00e9 and constrained staff and back\u2011of\u2011house facilities. The masterplan explicitly seeks to create new income\u2011generating opportunities and to strengthen environmental controls for the building and its collections; one stated target is to increase annual visits to around 500,000. The museum says these measures are intended both to broaden access and to safeguard the collection for future generations. (Sources: competition brief; contemporary reporting on the masterplan; Selldorf statement.)<\/p>\n
Procurement for the landscape role is framed by the masterplan\u2019s wider contractual requirements. The brief sets out capability and delivery expectations, and refers teams to further documents that are released only after signed non\u2011disclosure agreements. Earlier public procurement notices published on the UK Find a Tender service confirm the Wallace Collection has been running a restricted procurement process for the overall masterplan, pointing tenderers to the myTenders portal for full documents and administrative details. (Sources: competition brief; Find a Tender announcement.)<\/p>\n
That public procurement activity has been staged: a Find a Tender notice published in October 2024 sought applicants for the architect\/design lead, principal designer and associated roles for the comprehensive masterplanning commission, while a subsequent November 2024 notice invited submissions for a building services engineer and sustainability consultant to advise on environmental controls and building services for works at Hertford House. Together these notices indicate the museum is assembling a multidisciplinary team to support both design development and technical compliance under procurement rules. (Sources: Find a Tender notices October and November 2024.)<\/p>\n
Purcell\u2019s public statement underlines the heritage\u2011sensitive remit of the commission: the practice says it will lead conservation advice and ensure any adaptations respond to the building\u2019s special interest, drawing on its previous work at Hertford House \u2014 including the Great Gallery project completed in 2014. The firm also highlights that design development, stakeholder engagement and fundraising will run through 2025 as the project advances from masterplan into delivery phases. (Source: Purcell announcement.)<\/p>\n
The Wallace Collection\u2019s press hub is the museum\u2019s authoritative channel for official updates, images and contact information for press enquiries; its communications have stressed the project\u2019s twin aims of widening access and improving the environmental resilience of the building. Selldorf\u2019s own announcement reiterated those ambitions, describing an intent to rework arrival, circulation and learning spaces while respecting the house\u2019s historic fabric. These public statements frame the museum\u2019s narrative for the scheme; independent scrutiny will be required as designs mature and costings and phasing are firmed up. (Sources: Wallace Collection press page; Selldorf press release.)<\/p>\n
The practical implications of the programme are clear: delivering a landmark conservation\u2011led upgrade inside and outside a constrained historic town house demands careful staging, funding and stakeholder management. Procurement documents and the museum\u2019s own timetable suggest an extended period of design work, technical engagement and fundraising before large\u2011scale works could begin, and teams bidding for the landscape commission will need proven experience in both high\u2011quality public realm design and the rigours of working on listed heritage sites. The Wallace Collection\u2019s stated visitor targets and ambitions set a high bar, but offer a potentially transformative outcome for a museum long seeking to reconcile growing audiences with the limits of a historic home. (Sources: Find a Tender notices; Purcell and Selldorf statements; competition brief.)<\/p>\n