Tate Liverpool unveils £29m transformation plans
Plans for the Royal Albert Dock gallery include the introduction of an Art Hall and events space, as well as new exhibition areas.
Designs for Tate Liverpool also feature enhanced panoramic views of the River Mersey and a new ground-floor exhibition space visible from the dockside.
Additional gallery spaces will be created across three floors, along with double-height galleries to accommodate larger works.
Designs include a ground-floor Art Hall. Credit: 6a Architects
London-based 6a Architects was a year ago to design the scheme, which will reveal more of the building’s history as a Victorian warehouse.
Stephanie Macdonald, founding director of 6a Architects, said: “By uncovering and opening up, we can re-engage the robust materiality and unique waterfront location of Jesse Hartley’s 19th-century warehouse.”
The Tate’s original façade will be reimagined and the twin cylindrical gallery doors retained.
Macdonald added: “Stirling Wilford’s innovative insertion of a gallery within the walls of the warehouse in the 1980s is reprised in a new public Art Hall and their screens adapted for universal public access and low energy environmental improvement.”
Helen Legg, director of Tate Liverpool, added: “Through this once-in-a-generation renewal of Tate Liverpool we will become an art museum fit for the 21st century, serving the needs of artists and audiences now and into the future, while continuing to play our part in the ongoing evolution of the historic waterfront.”
6a wants to ‘open up’ Tate Liverpool, which was built in 1988. Credit: 6a Architects
Funding for the £29.7m project includes £10m of government Levelling Up money, as well as £6.6m from the DCMS Estates Maintenance Fund.
Lucy Frazer, culture secretary, said: “Tate Liverpool’s regeneration will breathe new life into the gallery, open up access to its collection, and improve the visitor experience.”
Dehenna Davison, minister for Levelling Up, added: “Tate Liverpool itself has been at the forefront of the city’s cultural scene since it opened at the famous Royal Albert Dock, and this major transformation will ensure it remains a focal point for years to come – for both artists and visitors to enjoy.”
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority funded the early developmental phase of the project through its Strategic Investment Fund.
Not sure how £10 M from the government is levelling up when spent on a gallery ?
By Peter Chapman
Hard to believe the Tate has been with us for 35 years, when it opened it had a tiny little eating area on the ground floor mezzanine level, which was obviously too small even then.
It`s a good idea this ,to open up the ground floor and make things more spacious and visible, as at present much of the area is not used effectively.
By Anonymous
Hardly “once in a generation” if it has to be upgraded every 35 years. I look forward to the next upgrade in 2058.
By Peter Gresswell
I don’t profess to understand it – totally over my head. But great for the city – and the draw of visitors.
By Lizzy Baggot
It was remodelled and refurbished in 97/98 when the top floor was opened up and the book shop and café swapped on the ground floor, a lift was installed Carried out by Mowlem Management
By Anonymous
Great asset to the North
By Anonymous
I’d like to know when this work is going to happen as I plan to visit this year. I read that it will start in October and will close for the duration, but the Tate website shows exhibitions as being open during that time. There is nothing in this article about the timeframe for the work so it’s not very helpful.
By J
Hi,
While the building is closed, the museum will continue to host events and one-off projects in collaboration with other spaces in the city.
Hope this helps! S
By Sophie Rennie