Urban Revitalization on the Banks of Thames Through Adaptive Reuse

Tate Modern. London, England. The highly popular Tate Modern is a wonderful example of how a thoughtful and collaborative effort can produce both a successful adaptive reuse of an existing structure, and how it can also stimulate growth and regeneration in the surrounding community. The Tate Modern is located on the banks of the River Thames, directly across from St. Paul’s Cathedral to which it is linked by the Millennium Bridge. It serves as the central anchor point on the “Millennium Mile” which stretches from the London Eye to the new Shakespeare Globe Theatre. In 1992 the Tate Trust announced its intention to build a separate gallery to house its international modern and contemporary art collection. The building they selected to house this gallery was the iconic Bankside Powerstation, originally built between 1947-1963 and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The building had a stunning turbine hall with a boiler house along with a single central chimney. The Powerhouse had sat mostly redundant since 1981. The proposal of Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron was selected primarily because it retained much of the original industrial character. The turbine hall became the dramatic entrance and display area and the boiler house became the galleries. (An addition opened in 2016 to include the 3 circular underground oil tanks and a new 10 story tower above the tanks.) Since its opening in 2000, the Tate Modern has become one of the UKs top 3 tourist attractions and generates approximately £100 million in economic benefits to the city of London annually. London, with its long and rich history presented many design constraints in revitalizing the surrounding area such as: height restrictions, protected historic buildings, old street patterns, natural shady areas, and pressures on the existing infrastructure. The Tate Organization had a goal to influence culture into the area and to create an anchor for economic regeneration. Therefore, they hired Richard Rogers and Partners to develop an urban strategy called “Bankside Urban Forest'' involving many different planning agencies and community groups to find common needs and a productive vision. The Tate Modern and its surrounding community have become a vibrant and an economic hub for the city of London.