- A modern and contemporary art gallery, housed in the former Bankside power station.
- The entrance to the Turbine Hall had to be created partly through a two metre thick concrete wall.
- Tate Modern attracted its first million visitors within 47 days of opening to the public.
Created from a disused power station, Tate Modern is now one of the world’s foremost international and contemporary art galleries.
Following an assessment of the remaining building shell, Arup designed a steel frame superstructure that sits on a raft above the building’s original foundations. This was far cheaper than breaking into the existing foundations.
In other areas, the existing structure posed quite a challenge. The entrance to the Turbine Hall had been created partly through a brick wall and partly through the two metre thick concrete basement retaining wall. Storey-high windows were opened up through the walls to allow light into the building.
The space inside Tate Modern has to cope with the changing needs of modern art display. Arup evaluated works by artists such as Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst to ensure that the structure could handle the loads placed on it.
Arup designed lighting that was suitable for displaying art. The firm also developed the detailed design for Tate Modern’s Building Management System (BMS), which regulates temperatures and humidity in the display suites.
A hit from the start, Tate Modern attracted its first million visitors within 47 days of opening to the public.
Share: