STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects win the Competition to transform the Louvre

France's culture ministry said Monday that it had selected an international team of architects to transform the Louvre, which has been hit by a series of problems including jewellery heist.

The "Louvre-New Renaissance" overhaul project was announced last year and will include a new space for the Mona Lisa and a new museum entrance.

The vast redevelopment project has been entrusted to STUDIOS Architecture Paris, the French branch of an international company, and Selldorf Architects. A French landscape and urban planning agency is also part of the winning team, which was selected by a jury from among five shortlisted candidates.

The culture ministry said the winning proposal was selected for "the quality of its architectural approach and its integration in terms of heritage, urban, and landscape considerations", as well as security concerns.

"The proposal establishes an elegant link between the city, the palace, and the museum," the museum said in a statement.

Macron's aides have said the project is expected to cost from €700 million to €800 million ($730 to 830 million). But the French Court of Auditors has put the price tag at €1.15 billion.

Under the plan, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa will be independently accessible from the rest of the museum, with a separate ticket to see it.

The museum will also have a new entrance on its eastern facade to help ease congestion at its current glass-and-metal pyramid entry point.