Tate Modern Herzog & de Meuron Extension | Southwark | 76m | U/C

[chrissyb]

Okay it's interesting, and perhaps the uncompromising design is apt as an extension to a venue showcasing modern art - but I'm immediately reminded of the National Theatre - it may well get a panning.

There is also something slightly irksome about the way it's head juts from behind the Tate from the front.

They're my first impressions...

[DarJoLe]

Tate Modern's £165m 'Olympic' extension
Tuesday 25 July 2006 London SE1 website team

Tate Modern has unveiled plans for a tall extension on its south side increasing the modern art gallery's overall size by more than half.

The new glass building, on part of the southeast lawn, will rise above the existing main brick structure and be visible from the City.

The architects are Herzog & de Meuron who converted Bankside Power Station into Tate Modern. The cost of the new building is £165m at today's prices and the Tate will be seeking both Lottery and private funding. It is estimated that the final bill could be £215m.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone immediately announced a £7m investment from the London Development Agency to help fast track the development so that it can be completed by 2012 when SE1's riverside hosts the Olympic Games cultural programme.

The decision by EDF, still operating an electricity substation in the former power station, to move into a smaller area has provided the opportunity for the Tate to bring its long term plans forward.

There will be new performance areas, a 400 seat auditorium, new flexible exhibition space and more room for the pioneering education service. A public roof terrace and a tenth floor restaurant will provide panoramic views both north and south.

The announcement has been welcomed by Southwark Council Leader Nick Stanton who, speaking at the press conference, described the Tate as "a bridgehead to economic development" and welcomed the emphasis on community use and space. He also spoke of the opportunity to pull visitors down to the Elephant & Castle.

Tate Director Sir Nicholas Serota confirmed that the Tate's new front door would face south across a piazza looking towards SE1's urban park occupied by at least twenty cultural organisations. Over a thousand new trees will be planted to the south of the building.

Sir Nick agreed that Sumner Street might eventually be closed during at least part of the day and suggested that the new south entrance would open up a north-south pedestrian 'street' through the Turbine Hall for at least twelve hours every day.

The Director claimed that the expanded Tate would give Southwark an exhibition programme of international resonance. He said that the Tate had become partners with the community and, having worked with the residential organisations, he believed that there would be a broad level of support for the extension.

The Tate on Bankside has four million more visitors per year than the Guggenheim in Bilbao and twice as many as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and MoMA in New York.

The designs for the new development will be submitted to Southwark Planning in September.

[Black Cat]

A remarkable design externally! Initially it does look like stacked portacabins, but as one looks at the composition, it also appears like a beached metallic iceberg. I don't have a problem with it rising up behind the back of the Bankside power station. It will need a lot of escalators and elevators though - I'm sure the building will be far more interesting than the artwork is presents, which is fine. $165M is a lot of money though, 7M from London will assist, but who is providing the rest of the finance? I assume there must be a one or more big names backing this project, and that it will have a name attached soon, similar to the NG's Sainsbury Wing - the Tesco Wing perhaps?

[Fragmentor]

I have to say I think it looks good. I had my doubts about it peeping over the top of the existing building, but this rendering cleared those worries up, I think it adds to the existing building.

[Jamandell (d69)]

I love it! Great for the modern art museum to have a part of it being modern art. I think it will be a fantastic addition. And it should give good views too when in there!

And the BBC has an article up
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5212900.stm

[scraper]

I think in its presen tform it is bold, and daring and perfect. It is everything London deserves in a modern art gallery. It will announce it self on a world stage, and has the chance to be as iconic as the guggenheim in new york. More so, dare I say it.

I can only hope that it is not watered down through the planning process and we lose it's uniqueness.

[Philip Cronin]

It is utterly hideous.

[ferge]

If someone asked you to envisage a tate extension, most people would try and draw something like this.. I dunno if I like it, but then I imagine thats what the developers were always primarily up against. I mean, how do you extend the tate with so much space without tarnishing its distinctivness?... I really doubt its possible to tell the truth, so its basically do the best you can.

I can see what they've tried to acheive, its as striking as can be, without being too imposing on the original, its quirky and bizarre, yet by the sounds of it still highly functional.. It seems light on the immediate skyline, which is good.. I just dunno if I can like it, but I don't detest it, my immediate thoughts were it looked like a translucent lego christmas tree, lol.. I did prefer the extension planned ages ago for the Victoria and Albert Museum, that just had this.... most weird sensation of something crashing into the floor around it, and was much more dynamic than this.

[SE9]

^ Well put ferge.

The 'Evening Standard' has been very supportive of this extension

Main Article for the Extension (p.7)

Editorial Comment (p.12)

"The proposal for the new extension to Tate Modern is unveiled today - and what a splendid vision it is........
...... With this dazzling, piled-up pyramid, they have given a whole new dimension to the gallery."

Architecture Critic (p.39)

"Tate Modern's planned extension could become one of the world's most exhilarating architectural experiences."

[Jake_the_Peg]

If it's the Tate, it should be a pile of sugarcubes. Shame it doesn't quite look that way.

Personally, I think the permanent collection is pathetic and most of the temporary stuff laughable ... but I guess comedy is what people want these days. I'd much rather they turned it into a Willy Wonka chocolate factory.

[ismail]

Surley this is is more than 100 ft, it's 10 storys high, and each of those floors looks a lot higher than 10 foot.

[johnnypd]

Originally Posted by Jake_the_Peg

If it's the Tate, it should be a pile of sugarcubes. Shame it doesn't quite look that way.

Personally, I think the permanent collection is pathetic and most of the temporary stuff laughable ... but I guess comedy is what people want these days. I'd much rather they turned it into a Willy Wonka chocolate factory.

agree! tate modern is all show and no substance. at least the turbine hall is stunning, this new building, if renders are faithful, is one of the ugliest proposals i've ever seen.

[Fragmentor]

Originally Posted by Philip Cronin

It is utterly hideous.

Why is it so? What features make you think this? How could it be improved?

Its not even remotely constructive criticism, not even worth taking time out of your precious little life to post it

[maggie]

Originally Posted by Jake_the_Peg

If it's the Tate, it should be a pile of sugarcubes. Shame it doesn't quite look that way.

Personally, I think the permanent collection is pathetic and most of the temporary stuff laughable ... but I guess comedy is what people want these days. I'd much rather they turned it into a Willy Wonka chocolate factory.

i dunno i thought the frida khalo exhibition was fantastic. then again art either captures your imagination or it doesnt its all subjective really

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by ferge

If someone asked you to envisage a tate extension, most people would try and draw something like this.. I dunno if I like it, but then I imagine thats what the developers were always primarily up against. I mean, how do you extend the tate with so much space without tarnishing its distinctivness?... I really doubt its possible to tell the truth, so its basically do the best you can.

I can see what they've tried to acheive, its as striking as can be, without being too imposing on the original, its quirky and bizarre, yet by the sounds of it still highly functional.. It seems light on the immediate skyline, which is good.. I just dunno if I can like it, but I don't detest it, my immediate thoughts were it looked like a translucent lego christmas tree, lol.. I did prefer the extension planned ages ago for the Victoria and Albert Museum, that just had this.... most weird sensation of something crashing into the floor around it, and was much more dynamic than this.

I was always a fan of Libeskind's V&A extension and the way it completely jazzed up Brompton Road, looking like it was literally bursting and falling out of the old museum itself. Great counterpoint here with this extension, the angular brick blockiness of the Tate with a silvery stacked pyramidal peak rising over its shoulder. Great stuff.

Like DarJoLe's point about Bankside 123 already buggering the sightlines of the top of the Tate from the North bank. The top of the offices jut well above and lurk there, this will break that up with something totally eyecatching.

[Prestonian]

I've just read a book called "Building Tate Modern" and in it both HDM and Serota said the galleries were all the better because they were in a converted building and that there was little show off architecture to get in the way of appreciating the art. The whole extension business seems a bit wrong to me having read all this thought behind it. I'd much rather they completed plans for the existing building like the oil yanks and so forth.

Having said that I do love any chance to have a bit of daring architecture in the country and I have the greates of respect of H&DM who will do a good job and make it work well with Bankside over which they laboured so hard. The symmetry isn't that important IMO, H&DM purposfully opposed it with the light beam on the roof which isn't symmetrical.

[DarJoLe]

Originally Posted by Philip Cronin

It is utterly hideous.

What a surprise, Philip deriding another piece of modern London.

You're in danger of becoming a parody of yourself.

[The King]

i think that it is a fantastic building looks so good reminds me of the civil juctice in manc but better will love to see this go up.

it does piss me off that it could be spent some where else in the country and have just as big an impact if not a greater impact, sure it will get lotto funding as the lotto as so fuckin london biased its not true leeds has had little or nothin in the way of lotto funding compared to the rest of the country let alone london????

ANYONE REMEMBER THE DOME THERE WAS £1BILLION OF LOTTO AND GOV MONEY DOWN THE SHITTER, FOR A CITY BRIMING WITH TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IMO.

[DarJoLe]

Originally Posted by The King

ANYONE REMEMBER THE DOME THERE WAS £1BILLION OF LOTTO AND GOV MONEY DOWN THE SHITTER,

Oh dear.

[SE9]

Originally Posted by The King

ANYONE REMEMBER THE DOME THERE WAS £1BILLION OF LOTTO AND GOV MONEY DOWN THE SHITTER, FOR A CITY BRIMING WITH TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IMO.

The dome is one of the most breathtaking pieces of architecture and engineering in the world.