The firm Jeremy Dixon Edward Jones was honored for its work on the National Portrait Gallery in London. The project is the result of cooperation between the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery to make use of a hidden courtyard between the two institutions. The space provides important facilities for the National Portrait Gallery as well as a radical reworking of its circulation system. The project brings support facilities up to date and provides dramatic new public spaces to complement the existing building. In the new wing, an escalator allows the visitors quick and direct access to the second floor where the collection begins.
New lifts ensure disabled access to all old and new galleries.
Surprise and unexpected views play an important part in the design. The transformed entrance hall leads to a tall tapering rectangular space lit at the top by a continuous clerestory window. Daylight reaches down to the ground level, bouncing off the white walls, contrasting with the dim light of the historic entrance hall. The new wing also includes a 138-seat lecture theatre, bookshop, and new galleries for Tudor and late 20th century works. A new public restaurant at roof level provides spectacular views to the south of Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, and the Westminster skyline.