tate modern is probably one of the most significant architectural realizations at the turn of the millennium. the transformation of the redundant bankside power station of sir gilbert scott into a museum with contemporary art was one of the millennium commission’s ‘landmark’ projects. in 2000, eight years after the announcement of the plans, the project was finished and opened to the public.
in 1992 plans were announced to redefine the display of the collection which led to the creation of a new tate gallery with modern art. various locations were considered and in 1994 the announcement came that bankside would be the new site for tate modern. the power station, located right in front of st. paul’s, would be given a new destination.
this building with his large chimney was erected in 1951 by the london power company. at this time it was very controversial because it was located on a very prominent place and it wasn’t desirable the have industry in the centre of a city. sir gilbert scott was appointed as architect for this delicate project. his designs are a compromise between tradition and modernity. his industrial buildings were given an art deco flavour.
in 1994 an international competition was launched and thirteen architects were chosen from the initial 148 applicants to go forward to the next stage of the competition. six architects reached the final and swiss architects herzog & de meuron won the competition. their design allowed the artwork and the building speak for themselves. herzog & de meuron already had some experience with the optimal conditions for viewing contemporary art. for many years they collaborated with artists (eg rémy zaugg).
when h&d started with the competition they had the idea of a huge body of light above the huge brick structure. this resulted in a strip of glass on the top of the building and the chimney. both are accessible and have a splendid panoramic view. the remarkable turbine hall was transformed into a public space that can house large-scale works.
h&d wanted a landscape around the building to be accessible and open to the public from all directions. thus the landscape mediates between the space of the city and the building. the gardens were designed by the landscape architects keinast vogt partner and could be divided in 3 areas. the centre with the north entrance, the west side dotted with groups of foreign birch trees and the east side with smaller groups of birch. the fact that birch trees thrive on fallow industrial grounds symbolizes the transformation of abandoned terrain.
the architects of the building tried to create additions that fit the building seamlessly in its totallity rather than in discreet distinguishable parts. from some parts of the building one can not say if it was built by sir gilbert scott or by h&d. their minimalism gracefully coexists with the originality of the building.
the museum consists of six floors used for the exposition of artwork and contains a bar with a panoramic view. the main floor has a bookshop and a central hall which is quite quite impressive due to is its massive height. in the galleries, visitors can watch down into the hall throughout several windows framed with lights. the galleries were kept very sober, clear and neutral. they certainly evoke no visual confusion.
“from the outside it’s still quite a challenging building. you have almost to brace up before you enter it.” rowan moore
today tate modern displays the tate collection of modern art, including major works by picasso, magritte, rothko and andy warhol. there is also a full range of special exhibitions and events throughout the year. since 2000 tate modern is attracting thousands of visitors every year. finally sir gilbert scott’s power station is back in use.
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