New build: Tate Modern gears up for its extension’s grand opening this summer
We’ve been following the developments at the Tate Modern’s ongoing extension keenly – and not least because our London HQ conveniently overlooks the site. This is famously one of the world’s most visited galleries of contemporary and modern art, and a prime London cultural destination since the former Bankside Power Station’s transformation by Swiss duo Herzog & de Meuron opened its doors at the turn of the millennium.
Now, 16 years later, Herzog & de Meuron have returned to the site, adding a much-needed extension to the original brick structure built by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott prior to his death in 1960. Design development in the new wing began in 2009 and, come June this year, the building will throw open its doors to the public for the first time since the sneak peak offered by the brief reveal of the Tate tank galleries back in 2012.
This move will allow the Tate to display much more of its growing collection. Four floors of the new wing will be dedicated to exhibitions from the permanent collection, while, for the moment at least, temporary shows will remain in their original spaces.
The Tanks will also reopen and, spanning ten floors above them, the new extension will include a restaurant and bar, office space, the aforementioned galleries, a members room, and an accessible panoramic viewing level at the very top.
The fifth floor will play host to Tate’s latest special project – the Tate Exchange. This innovative space will be dedicated to ’exploring wider social issues through art’, explains the art institution. The Tate describes the Exchange as a ’modern experiment’, which will provide space for interactive events and dialogue between artists, associates and the public.
The Tate Modern extension will launch on 17 June with a special weekend program of music, film, tours, workshops and events throughout the building.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
For more information, visit the Herzog & de Meuron website
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Pininfarina Battista Reversario is a new one-off electric hypercar
The all-electric Pininfarina Battista Reversario is joining its aesthetic inverse in an ultra-select car collector’s garage. We take a look at a car built to a very precise order
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Fernando Jorge’s fluid diamond earrings show his curve appeal
Discover Brazilian jewellery designer Fernando Jorge's snake-like silhouettes and graphic shapes
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Abreham Brioschi debuts Ethiopia-inspired rugs for Nodus
Abreham Brioschi teams up with luxury rug experts Nodus to translate visions from his heritage into a tactile reality
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Henry Wood House’s postmodernist bones are refreshed by Nice Projects in London
Nice Projects breathes new life into the Henry Wood House in London, offering ample flexible office spaces for modern workers
By Daven Wu Published
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design
‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2024: London’s bold, bright and boutique home renovations
Don’t Move, Improve 2024 reveals its shortlist, with 16 home designs competing for the top spot, to be announced in May
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Timber-framed Wimbledon house is a minimalist, low-energy affair
A new timber-framed Wimbledon house is designed to blend into its traditional surroundings with a neat brick façade, careful massing and pared back interiors
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
London Science Museum’s Energy Revolution gallery champions sustainable exhibition design
The Energy Revolution gallery opens at London’s Science Museum, exploring decarbonisation through sustainable exhibition design by Unknown Works
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This South Downs house stands as a testament to the value of quiet refinement
At one with the landscape, a South Downs house uses elements of quintessential country villas and midcentury gems with modern technologies
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Ash Tree House offers a contextual approach to a north London site
Ash Tree House by Edgley Design is a modern family home in a north London conservation area's backyard site
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
In memoriam: John Miller (1930-2024)
We remember John Miller, an accomplished British architect and educator who advocated a quiet but rigorous modernism
By Jonathan Bell Published