The St Louis Holocaust Museum in Missouri, US, has announced a new US$18m (€16.4m, £13.9m) project to deliver a state of the art facility that triples its existing space, enhancing its ability to engage with visitors and the regional community.

It said it plans to break ground in May 2020 and hopes to complete the development by late 2021.

Gallagher & Associates has been working on the new design, which will give the museum a 35,000sq ft (10,670sq m) footprint, allowing it to display more temporary exhibitions from its own or other institutions' collections.

The expanded space will also include a multipurpose area with seating for 250 people, for programmes and community events. In addition, the museum will have a new environmentally-controlled and secure archive space to protect its 12,000-plus item collection and allow on-site research.

As well as artefacts, the museum uses a collection of more than 230 oral histories to help visitors to understand the Holocaust from different perspectives.

Funding for the project is being raised through a capital campaign, with support already coming from individuals, corporations and foundations, as well as a grant of US$750,000 (€685,000, £580,000) from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

"Using the lessons of the Holocaust to address bias, bigotry and hate is important locally, nationally and around the world," said Sandra Harris, executive director of the St Louis Holocaust Museum & Learning Center. "This significant community asset will be expanded to enable us to facilitate critical conversations with more people in our community to inspire dialogue and actionable positive change."