Herzog & de Meuron, architects of Tate Modern, have been selected to develop a scheme for the completion of the gallery and its surrounding areas. The announcement comes almost 10 years to the day from their original appointment.
The catalyst for the development is EDF Energy’s need to upgrade the electricity substation which is housed in the southern block of Tate Modern. This creates an opportunity to reduce the space it occupies on site. As a result, Tate will be able to develop the derelict areas which the substation currently occupies to the south of the Turbine Hall. Herzog & de Meuron have been appointed to develop a scheme that will provide improved facilities for visitors to the gallery, different kinds of display space, a learning centre and other facilities.
Building on an urban study which Tate commissioned from the Richard Rogers Partnership in 2001, a bold vision is being developed to create a new cultural quarter at Bankside which will transform the area into an international centre for visual culture. An important aspect of the development will be the reconfiguration of the open spaces around the gallery to provide new north-south pedestrian routes through and around its buildings, with enhanced gardens and community facilities.
Tate will now develop a scheme to be submitted for planning in Summer 2005, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of Tate Modern.
Jacques Herzog, Herzog & de Meuron, said:
We are delighted to have been selected to work on the completion of Tate Modern, which has been such an important project for us. We look forward to working with the Tate team to create new spaces for art and new facilities for visitors of the future.
Herzog & de Meuron was founded in Basel by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and the practice now has additional offices in London, Munich, Barcelona, San Francisco and Beijing. It has received international acclaim and awards for its innovative work, including the Pritzker Prize in 2001 and the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2003. The practice’s recent projects include the Laban Dance Centre in London (2003); the Schaulager for the Laurenz Foundation in Basel (2003); and the flagship store for Prada Aoyama Tokyo (2003). Current projects include Allianz Arena, the new Soccer Stadium for Munich (opening game FIFA World Cup 2006); the Expansion of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis (opening mid-April 2005); the New de Young Museum in San Francisco (opening mid-October 2005); and the National Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (ground-breaking December 2004, projected completion 2007). Herzog and de Meuron won the international competition to select an architect for Tate Modern on 24 January 1995.