Completion of Grand Egyptian Museum
Dublin studio Heneghan Peng Architects has reached completion on the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, more than three decades after plans for the project were announced. Sprawled across a 50,000-square-metre site close to the Pyramids of Giza, the colossal museum houses more than 100,000 pharaonic antiquities – many that have never been made public before. It has a total floor area of 81,000 square meters and, according to Heneghan Peng Architects, is the "largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation". The building was partly opened in 2024 and finally fully opened to the public on 1 November 2025.
Heneghan Peng Architects designed the museum as a giant wedge, built from concrete. Its angular form aligns with the positioning of the three pyramids, which are made visible throughout. It is wrapped in triangular panels formed from translucent alabaster, Egyptian limestone and glass, and projecting triangular entrances. The museum's internal walls follow its wedge shape, while the roof slopes upwards to echo the peaks of the pyramids – though it does not surpass them in height.
The heart of the building is a six-story staircase that provides access through the different galleries. This includes the Tutankhamun Gallery on the top level, which will display a collection of more than 5,000 artefacts to the public for the first time. Among the museum's exhibits are discoveries from the tomb of King Tutankhamun and a 3,200-year-old sculpture of Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II. Alongside the galleries, Heneghan Peng Architects has incorporated a children's museum, a conference centre, an auditorium, a conservation facility and gardens.
References:
