Steven Holl Architects have been selected to design a new addition to Mumbai’s City Museum, besting finalists including OMA, Zaha Hadid Architects, Amanda Levete, wHY, and Pei Cobb Freed, among others. The 125,000 square foot white concrete addition will include 65,000 square feet of galleries, each with carefully calibrated natural light filtering down from overhead. Light is used as a device to draw visitors through the spaces.

In addition to providing natural light, cuts in the roof form channels that feed a large monsoon pool adjacent to the museum. Inspired by India’s monumental well architecture, the pool serves a contemporary function: Lined with photovoltaic cells, the pool will generate 60 percent of the museum’s energy. Guy Nordenson & Associates is engineering the project, and Transsolar is serving as sustainability consultants. The international competition was the first ever held for a public building in India. Construction is expected to begin in 2015.