The design of the building was decided by means of an architectural competition. The competition was announced on 7 January 2002. The organisers received 1557 entries from 82 countries, making it the second largest architectural competition in history. In the second stage of the competition, 20 entries were asked to submit additional information. Judging was complete by 2 June 2003. The competition was won by the company Heneghan Peng from Dublin, Ireland, winning 250,000 dollars. Second place was awarded to Coop Himmelblau.Héctor Vigliecca and Luciene Quel (Brazil), Ruben Verdi (Italy), Michael Zimmermann, Engel und Zimmermann (Germany), Pardo Calvo y Bernardo Garcia Tapia, Nuno Filipe Morais Monteiro (Portugal) and Martin Roubik (Czech Republic) received Honorable Mention.
The building is designed byHeneghan Peng Architects, Buro Happold andArup. The exhibition masterplan, exhibition design and museology is by Metaphor andCultural Innovations Ltd.

The building is shaped like a chamferedtriangle in plan. It sits on a site two kilometers west of the pyramids, near a motorway interchange. The building's north and south walls line up directly with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure. In front of the building is a large plaza, filled with date plants. One of the main features of the Museum is the translucent stone wall, made of alabaster, that makes up the front facadeof the building. Inside the main entrance is a large atrium, where large statues will be exhibited.
On 2 February 2010, Hill Internationalannounced that Egypt's Ministry of Culturehad signed a contract with a joint venture ofHill and EHAF Consulting Engineers to provide project management services during the design and construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The total estimated project cost is US$ 550m, US$ 300m of which will be financed from Japanese loans, the remaining will be financed by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, other donations and international funds.
The new museum is designed to include the latest technology, including virtual reality. The Museum will also be an international center of communication between museums, to promote direct contact with other local and international museums. The Grand Egyptian Museum will include a children's museum,conference center, training center, and workshops similar to the old Pharaonicplaces.