Editing Victoria and Albert Museum (section)

===Recent years===
A few galleries were redesigned in the 1990s including the Indian, Japanese, Chinese, ironwork, the main glass galleries, and the main silverware gallery, which was further enhanced in 2002 when some of the Victorian decoration was recreated. This included two of the ten columns having their ceramic decoration replaced and the elaborate painted designs restored on the ceiling. As part of the 2006 renovation the mosaic floors in the sculpture gallery were restored—most of the Victorian floors were covered in [[linoleum]] after the Second World War. After the success of the British Galleries, opened in 2001, it was decided to embark on a major redesign of all the galleries in the museum; this is known as "FuturePlan", and was created in consultation with the exhibition designers and masterplanners [[Metaphor (designers)|Metaphor]]. The plan is expected to take about ten years and was started in 2002. To date several galleries have been redesigned, notably, in 2002: the main Silver Gallery, Contemporary; in 2003: Photography, the main entrance, The Painting Galleries; in 2004: the tunnel to the subway leading to [[South Kensington tube station]], new signage throughout the museum, architecture, V&A and RIBA reading rooms and stores, metalware, Members' Room, contemporary glass, and the [[Gilbert Bayes]] sculpture gallery; in 2005: portrait miniatures, prints and drawings, displays in Room 117, the garden, sacred silver and stained glass; in 2006: Central Hall Shop, Islamic Middle East, the new café, and sculpture galleries. Several designers and architects have been involved in this work. [[Eva Jiřičná]] designed the enhancements to the main entrance and rotunda, the new shop, the tunnel and the sculpture galleries. [[Gareth Hoskins]] was responsible for contemporary and architecture, Softroom, Islamic Middle East and the Members' Room, McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) were responsible for the new Cafe and designed the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries which opened in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/c/completed-futureplan-projects/ |title=Completed Projects&nbsp;– Victoria and Albert Museum |publisher=vam.ac.uk |date=5 May 2011 |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009065114/http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/c/completed-futureplan-projects/ |archive-date=9 October 2011 }}</ref>

====Garden====
[[File:Victoria & Albert Museum Central Garden, London, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|right|The [[John Madejski]] Garden, opened in 2005]]
The central garden was redesigned by Kim Wilkie and opened as the [[John Madejski]] Garden on 5 July 2005. The design is a subtle blend of the traditional and modern: the layout is formal; there is an elliptical water feature lined in stone with steps around the edge which may be drained to use the area for receptions, gatherings or exhibition purposes. This is in front of the bronze doors leading to the refreshment rooms. A central path flanked by lawns leads to the sculpture gallery. The north, east and west sides have herbaceous borders along the museum walls with paths in front which continues along the south façade. In the two corners by the north façade, there is planted an [[American Sweetgum]] tree. The southern, eastern and western edges of the lawns have glass planters which contain orange and lemon trees in summer, which are replaced by [[Bay Laurel|bay trees]] in winter.

At night both the planters and the water feature may be illuminated, and the surrounding façades lit to reveal details normally in shadow. Especially noticeable are the mosaics in the [[loggia]] of the north façade. In summer a café is set up in the southwest corner. The garden is also used for temporary exhibits of sculpture; for example, a sculpture by [[Jeff Koons]] was shown in 2006. It has also played host to the museum's annual contemporary design showcase, the [[V&A Village Fete]], since 2005.

====Exhibition Road Quarter====
[[File:Victoria And Albert Museum (K2 Telephone Kiosk Outside The Victoria And Albert Museum, bottom Left).jpg|thumb|New entrance and courtyard on [[Exhibition Road]], opened 2017]]
In 2011 the V&A announced that London-based practice [[AL A]] had won an international competition to construct a gallery beneath a new entrance courtyard on Exhibition Road.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dezeen.com/2011/03/28/amanda-levete-architects-win-va-exhibition-road-project/|title=AL_A win V&A Exhibition Road project – Dezeen|date=28 March 2011|website=dezeen.com}}</ref> Planning for the scheme was granted in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dezeen.com/2012/07/11/va-exhibition-road-by-al_a/|title=V&A museum Exhibition Road extension by AL_A – Dezeen|date=11 July 2012|website=dezeen.com}}</ref> It replaced the [[Victoria and Albert Museum Spiral|proposed extension]] designed by [[Daniel Libeskind]] with [[Cecil Balmond]] but abandoned in 2004 after failing to receive funding from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecityreview.com/london.htm|title=Elsewhere: London: The Millennium Projects: Museum Expansions|website=www.thecityreview.com}}</ref>

The Exhibition Road Quarter opened in 2017, with a new entrance providing access for visitors from [[Exhibition Road]]. A new courtyard, the Sackler Courtyard, has been created behind the Aston Webb Screen, a colonnade built in 1909 to hide the museum's boilers. The colonnade was kept but the wall in the lower part was removed in the construction to allow public access to the courtyard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/futureplan/aston-webb-screen-reveal |title=Aston Webb Screen Reveal|first=Alice |last=Fraser|date=10 February 2017 |publisher=V&A}}</ref> The new 1,200-square meter courtyard is the world's first all-porcelain courtyard,<ref name="quarter opening">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/29/duchess-cambridge-tours-new-spaces-victoria-albert-museum/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/29/duchess-cambridge-tours-new-spaces-victoria-albert-museum/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Duchess of Cambridge 'quite stunned' by world's first all-porcelain courtyard at V&A Museum |date=29 June 2020 |publisher=The Telegraph }}</ref> which is covered with 11,000 handmade porcelain tiles in fifteen different linear patterns glazed in different tone. A pavilion of [[Modern architecture|Modernist]] design with glass walls and an angular roof covered with 4,300 tiles is located at the corner and contains a cafe.<ref name=dezeen>{{cite web |url= https://www.dezeen.com/2017/06/28/ala-amanda-levete-v-a-victoria-albert-museum-exhibition-road-quarter-courtyard-gallery-london/ |title=AL_A completes tile-covered entrance and subterranean gallery for London's V&A museum |publisher=Dezeen |first=Jessica |last=Mairs |date= 28 June 2017}}</ref> Skylights on the courtyard provide natural light for the stairwell and the exhibition space located below the courtyard created by digging 15m into the ground. The Sainsbury Gallery's column-less space at 1,100 square metres is one of the largest in the country, providing space for temporary exhibitions. The gallery can be assessed through the existing Western Range building where a new entrance to the Blavatnik Hall and the museum has been created, and visitors can descend into the gallery via stairs with lacquered tulipwood balustrades.<ref name=dezeen /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/vas-new-48m-exhibition-road-quarter-triumph-review/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/vas-new-48m-exhibition-road-quarter-triumph-review/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The V&A's new £48m Exhibition Road Quarter is a triumph – review|date=28 June 2017 |publisher=The Telegraph |first=Ellis |last=Woodman}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jul/02/v-and-a-victoria-and-albert-museum-courtyard-amanda-levete-exhibition-road-revuew |title=Exhibition Road Quarter: the V&A digs deep |first=Rowan |last=Moore|date= 2 July 2017 |publisher=The Observer}}</ref>