“Tate Liverpool is a landmark project of re-use and so much of what we need now to re-imagine the gallery is already there. By uncovering and opening up, we can re-engage the robust materiality and unique waterfront location of Jesse Hartley’s 19th-century warehouse. 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 are adapted for universal public access and low-energy environmental improvement. The resulting series of new dynamic and social spaces across the building will support an arts program, embedded in the energy and warmth of the city, and make the life of Tate Liverpool and its visitors visible to all along the waterfront.”
Founding Director of 6a Architects, Stephanie Macdonald.
The transformation by 6a architects reimagines the gallery to meet the scale and ambition of today’s most exciting artists and to welcome visitors into a brand new museum environment for the 21st century. The designs show a new public "Art Hall" and events space on the ground floor opened up to admit sunlight and views across the historic dock.
New gallery spaces over three floors will showcase the incredible diversity of Tate’s collection and are interspersed with public riverside foyers. The opening up of the Gallery’s façade will increase its visibility on the waterfront and within the Royal Albert Dock creating an inviting destination with striking spaces for learning, play, and relaxation.
The gallery plans to reveal new panoramic views of the River Mersey, re-establishing its connection to its historic waterfront site. A new exhibition space at the ground floor level will be created to exhibit work that can be seen from the dockside, increasing the visibility of the gallery’s work to visitors.
Rendering. Concept art for reimagined Tate Liverpool courtesy by 6a architects.
Larger contemporary works - where awe, wonder, and playfulness break down barriers and cut through preconceptions - which were previously impossible to display at Tate Liverpool, will be accommodated by new double-height galleries.
Environmental standards and thermal performance will be significantly improved with new services replacing fossil fuel with renewables and natural ventilation introduced to the building to ensure better energy performance. The design by 6a architects will sensitively reveal more of the former Victorian warehouse through features such as the new open-plan ground floor and uncovering windows, to celebrate the world-class heritage of this 180-year-old building. Key themes from the Stirling Wilford scheme which formed the gallery in the 1980s will be retained, including a reimagining of the façade and the twin cylindrical gallery doors.
“We are proud to be the UK’s most visited modern art gallery outside London but, after 35 years, we want to do more to engage new audiences and to reduce the gallery’s impact on the environment. 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.”
Director of Tate Liverpool, Helen Legg.
While the building is closed, Tate Liverpool will continue to host events and one-off projects in collaboration with other spaces in the city. Plans for the program for 2024 will be announced in the coming weeks.
