Tate Liverpool, Royal Albert Dock
2022 - 2027
Tate Liverpool will reopen in 2027, following a major transformation by 6a architects. The Grade 1 Listed warehouse, built in 1845, was a pioneer of industrial architecture before being repurposed as a museum in 1988 by Stirling Wilford and Associates. It was an instant success with the public becoming the cornerstone of a new cultural quarter and a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Liverpool’s docks. Four decades later the transformed museum will reopen for new generations of artists and audiences.
The project reimagines the museum as a more open, flexible, and socially engaged institution, connected to the city and its historic waterfront setting. The layers of history are meticulously revealed, exposing brickwork and uncovering blocked windows bring in daylight and open panoramic views across the River Mersey.
A new ground-floor Art Hall will be the civic heart of Tate Liverpool, welcoming visitors to new commissions and events. Generous new stairs and lifts are carefully inserted through the historic cast iron and brick vaults, leading to new galleries across three floors. On each floor, social and learning spaces have been created overlooking the historic docks and tidal estuary. Reclaimed bricks are reused throughout the intervention for repair, new architectural elements and as dust to pigment natural lime finishes.
The river is an important foundation, providing energy and natural materials for the building. Water source energy pumps harness heating and cooling, whilst dredged clay is turned into plaster and coloured with dyes made from the plants on its banks. The project sees in a generational change as a major decarbonisation project, made possible with the wholesale replacement of fossil-fuel systems, improved thermal performance and the introduction of natural ventilation.
