Tate St Ives redevelopment opens to the public

26 October 2017

After ten years of planning, an eight-month enabling package and a two-year construction programme, the Tate St Ives Project is now complete, having opened to the public on 14 October.

Currie & Brown was appointed by Tate to deliver project management, cost advisory, principal designer, clerk of works and party wall surveying services for the refurbishment and four-storey extension of the existing galleries. This scheme has transformed the gallery into a world-class dynamic hub, offering space for a full programme of art and audience activity, as well as a public platform for Tate's seasonal research and artist residency programmes.

The development is aiming to achieve a BREEAM 'Very Good' score, and features a public garden on its roof which connects the cliff above and beach below. The gallery is now able to comfortably accommodate the quarter of a million visitors it receives each year, over three times the number for which it was originally designed.

"The extension will allow Tate St Ives to stay open year-round for the first time in its history, removing the need to close whenever the exhibitions change," noted James Wickett, regional director at Currie & Brown. "The team faced a number of challenges during the works, including greenstone excavation in a confined site, diversion of public services, and disruption to a busy seaside resort during the summer holidays, but we are justifiably proud of the gallery’s spectacular transformation."

Photography © Dennis Gilbert/VIEW