London Week: Tate Expansion

In March 2007, Tate Modern received the go-ahead to begin development of its extension, to be named—shockingly—Tate Modern 2. Planned by Herzog & De Meuron, the same architects responsible for the initial redevelopment of the Bankside Power Station, the expansion on the South side of the existing building will take the form of a ziggurat. The details of the design have evolved over time but its sustainability goals have not: it is meant to “use 54% less energy and generate 44% less carbon than current building regulations demand” (source: signage featured at the museum).

The 11-storey structure and surrounding land use vision is ambitious and should make the most popular modern art museum in the world—5 million visitors per year—an equally sought after destination for shopping and dining as well as discovering new artists, community groups and contemporary visual art in all its forms, including video and film.

The new spaces will offer an additional 23,400 square meters of galleries, cafés, shops and restaurants and allow for significant development of its adult- and youth-oriented learning activities. On the surrounding lands the forthcoming Bankside Urban Forest should also further the museum and city council’s plan to strengthen ties with the adjacent borough of Southwark.

With completion scheduled for 2012, the development is in full swing and the current building features a play-by-play of the process through time-lapse, architectural models, interactive kiosks and projected slideshows.

In a previous post, I mused about whether museums need brands. Looking at the Tate’s established and growing brand it is not so far-fetched to imagine that it has the capability to redefine the whole museum-going experience. Its promise might just be that the viewing and appreciation of art should exist as part of the fabric of urban life and as an accessible, enriching, entertainment experience to be taken in alongside shopping, dining or a stroll by the river by anyone who might be so inclined.

- – - – -
All images © Herzog & De Meuron