Tate Liverpool has selected 6a architects to lead a major reimagining of the gallery, which first opened on the Royal Albert Dock in 1988.
6a architects won the tender to transform the gallery’s spaces following an open competition. The firm was chosen from a shortlist of Asif Khan, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, and Witherford Watson Mann.
“I’m excited to embark on a journey with 6a to reimagine what Tate Liverpool can be and how it can best serve the needs of art, artists and our visitors into the future,” said Helen Legg, Tate Liverpool’s director.
“6a have an outstanding track record of reworking historic buildings, often in partnership with cultural organisations and I’m confident in their ability to deliver something very special with us in the coming years.”
Tate Liverpool is housed in an 1846 warehouse that was redesigned in the late 1980s by James Stirling and Michael Wilford. Tate will work alongside 6a to reimagine the gallery spaces and develop social spaces.
£25m project led by 6a architects
The £25m refurbishment project will increase the museum’s visibility on the waterfront and the Albert Dock. It will also create a seamless visitor experience.
“Liverpool has a unique spirit; Jesse Hartley’s original Royal Albert Dock was one of the most innovative buildings of the industrial revolution,” said Stephanie Macdonald, 6a’s founding director.
“Sir James Stirling’s transformation in the 1980s was a pioneer in the adaptive re-use of industrial heritage for public cultural use,” she added.
“Together they offer an incredible starting point from which to develop a new sustainable, social and accessible museum for the future.”
Macdonald said the project will “offer artists and audiences a renewed experience of art reflecting the warmth and energy that this extraordinary city is known for”.
Earlier this year, the Sackler name was removed from Tate Modern and Tate Britain. The billionaire Sackler family is accused of making a profit from the US opioid epidemic.
Images: Tate Liverpool, Andrew Dunkley and Mark Heathcote
