This summer, the Victoria and Albert Museum has finally opened the doors to its most ambitious project yet: the V&A East Storehouse. Before its Olympic transformation, this area had a long industrial and logistics legacy, serving as a key manufacturing and warehousing zone for East London. From canal-side depots to sprawling freight yards, the site once formed the backbone of London’s supply chains, making it a fitting location for a 21st-century building that bridges heritage, storage, and public access. The dazzling museum warehouse now at its heart boasts 170,000 square feet of space across four mezzanine floors and over 600,000 treasures – including 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives. The Storehouse is not only a new cultural landmark but also a logistical marvel.
At first glance, the building may resemble any modern warehouse: a geometric box between the A12 and the Elizabeth line. But step inside, and you’ll find yourself navigating a treasure trove of human creativity, from Samurai swords and Frank Lloyd Wright interiors to vases, paintings and costumes from through the ages.
Uniquely, this is no behind-closed-doors archive. The Storehouse turns the concept of museum storage inside out. Visitors can walk the aisles, peering into working conservation labs and exploring over 100 “hacked” displays embedded directly into the racking. A central collection hall, public workshops, and viewing platforms bring the museum’s backstage world into plain view.
Making this vision possible was no small feat. The bespoke racking system (SEMA-compliant, of course) and discreet QR codes allow for both public engagement and curatorial precision. With thousands of artefacts requiring unique palletisation, the immense engineering challenge has been expertly handled.
Located in West Kensington, Blythe House is a Grade II listed building which, for forty years, was used as a storage facility for the V&A, the British Museum, and the Science Museum. But its complex layout and ageing infrastructure were problematic, so in 2015 the UK Government announced plans to sell Blythe House, prompting V&A Deputy Director Tim Reeve to seek a new home for its extensive collections.
Reeve’s vision has been delivered by an imaginative team from Diller Scofidio + Renfro, an American interdisciplinary design studio, reframing museum storage as something not only visible but vital to public learning. Visitors are already queueing up to explore, drawn in by both the scale and the intimacy of the experience.
With minimal labels and maximum freedom, the Storehouse encourages self-guided discovery. Whether you’re a logistics professional, a lover of art, or both, this is a site where supply chain meets storytelling. As museums and warehouses alike rethink their purpose in the 21st century, the V&A East Storehouse sets a bold new benchmark. The role of warehousing in cultural preservation is finally in the spotlight.
Comments are closed.