Tate Modern Bankside
A previously unimagined vitality and dynamism is evident in the South Bank, as the formerly desolate area welcomes the five million visitors making their way each year to the Tate Modern. More successful than the Tate and its development team ever envisaged, Tate Modern has sparked the regeneration of London's South Bank and provided the capital with a modern art gallery to rival the likes of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. From finding the perfect site for the new gallery, coming up with the design brief, appointing the design team through to overseeing the conversion of the Bankside Power Station, we managed all aspects of the project, delivering this Millennium project on time and within budget.
5 million
visitors a year
Top Three
Tourist Attractions in the UK
4000
new jobs generated
Powering Regeneration
The Tate Modern has stimulated new residential development, offices and hotels
Closed-off and dreary, the original Bankside Power Station was the polar opposite of the tourist draw it has now become. Its conversion has attracted five million visitors a year south of the River Thames, exceeding initial expectations for annual visitor numbers of two million. Recognising the potential of the gallery to revitalise the wider Southwark area, Southwark Council was an enthusiastic partner from the beginning, encouraging the formation of educational links between the gallery and local schools. These connections, combined with the creation of local jobs, embedded the gallery in the community from the start - confirming our philosophy that a development that engages widely will become part of an area's essential fabric.
From Energy to Art
The conversion of a defunct power station into a distinctive showcase for modern art was a complex task
Although two-thirds of the power station was obsolete, the difficulty posed by the continuing operation of a London Electricity control room and transformers that were still connected to the electricity network had deterred any prior development of the site. Our conversion of the unused boilerhouse and turbine hall into gallery, café, office and educational space was the first time a power station had been decommissioned without demolishing the building. To allow the removal of thousands of tonnes of scrap equipment, we took down one bay on the side of the building. Divers were brought in to fill in cooling tunnels leading from the station under the Thames. A new building was constructed within the old, making it possible to generate the optimum conditions for displaying and protecting the artworks.
Marking the Millennium
Chosen as one of the Millennium Commission's flagship projects, the Tate Modern opened on time and budget to mark the turn of the century
Selected by the Tate Gallery's trustees to deliver this major transformational project, we took responsibility for finding and acquiring the site, helping to run the architectural competition, appointing consultants, supporting the fundraising, and overseeing construction. Following discussion with Government (DCMS), we recommended the adoption of construction management procurement and our experience in managing risk gave the Tate and its funders the confidence to proceed. This allowed us to introduce new facilities to the building as funding became available. Under initial plans the fourth floor would have been empty when the building opened. However, when the Arts Council agreed to fund this temporary exhibition space we were able to incorporate it at the same time as the rest of the gallery.
Striking A Balance
Blending an architectural idea and diverse stakeholder ‘wish-lists' within an existing building and budget
Designing the Tate Modern required a delicate balancing act. Requirements for gallery space, offices, education and support facilities had to be weighed against the needs of revenue generators such as cafes and restaurants, while also taking account of the practicalities of access, plant and emergency escape routes. These varied functions all had to be accommodated within an existing building and finite budget. The Tate's organisational structure, which encompasses sister galleries at Millbank, Liverpool and St Ives also had to be included in the equation. Stanhope led an examination of the various layout options, evolving the final design through a careful assessment of the possibilities.
Gallery
Opinions
“Stanhope is the partner that makes things happen.”
Sir Nicolas Serota, Director, Tate Gallery
“This magnificent building is a symbol of London and the UK in the twenty first century and will be a legacy that will be enjoyed for years to come. In addition, Tate Modern is an excellent example of how Lottery money is making a real difference. The new gallery has already played a vital role in the regeneration of a significant part of inner London and has helped to create thousands of jobs and new opportunities. Now that it is open, it will assist with the revitalising of Southwark and the South Bank bringing direct economic benefit to the capital and the UK.”
Rt Hon Chris Smith, Millennium Commission
“The Tate’s community activities were too widespread and went on for too long for them to be just window dressing. There was a genuine sense that from Serota downwards the Tate team were willing to give all the time necessary to reassure the Borough of Southwark that it was going to be a socially responsible organization rather than a cultural flying saucer landing on the riverside, with visitors beamed in from more fashionable parts of London without ever realizing quite where they were in the urban scene.”
Karl Sabbagh, Author, 'Power Into Art - Creating Tate Modern, Bankside'
“Tate Modern’s a part of the international imagination, you can go anywhere in the world and people will have heard of it. That’s a terrific thing.
“It’s done what everyone aspired for it to do and it’s made the piece of city south of the river toward the east, it’s made it possible for it to feel like the city, and the city’s growing really rapidly out into it.”
Peter Wilson, Tate Modern
“Maybe what makes this an intriguing place is that it’s actually saying rather vigorously goodbye to the past, and bravely trying to say hello to the future.”
Richard Wentworth, Artist
