ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø

Sir Robert McAlpine is favourite to land the blue riband deal to build the new Museum of London being planned in Farringdon, ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø understands.

The contractor’s appointment is believed to have been ratified at a City of London Corporation meeting last week with an official announcement due to be made later this month.

McAlpine has beaten remaining bidder Lendlease for the construction management job with a third bid from Mace dropped earlier in the race.

The £332m Museum of London project is being designed by Stanton Williams, Asif Khan and Julian Harrap Architects.

The win is a coup for McAlpine and its most high-profile deal this year.

Last year, Keltbray won the first major phase of construction, including enabling and demolition work, at the West Smithfield site, home to a cluster of former Smithfield Market buildings.

The museum, currently based in a 1970s building at London Wall, is due to close its doors at the end of this year and will reopen in 2026 at its new address when it will be known as the London Museum.

Consultants working on the scheme include QS Gardiner & Theobald, project manager Buro Four, engineer Arup and structures firm AKT II.

The museum’s existing building had been due to be demolished to make way for a concert hall designed by US practice Diller Scofidio & Renfro.

But the £288m Centre for Music project was pulled by the City Corporation last year who said it would launch an international design competition to find an architect to spruce up the 40-year-old Barbican Centre instead. This was later won by a team including Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan.