Tate Liverpool: Belfast firm wins £30m contract

Concept art for the reimagined Tate Liverpool

A Belfast-based construction firm has won the £30m contract to refurbish the Tate Liverpool gallery.

The gallery closed its doors in October ahead of the two-year transformation.

Once refurbished, the 35-year-old gallery - set to reopen in 2025 - will feature a new public art hall, double-height galleries and more social space.

Gilbert Ash has established a specialism in working on major cultural buildings including the National Portrait Gallery.

Raymond Gilroy, construction director at Gilbert Ash, said the firm was delighted to add "another unique project" to its culture and arts portfolio.

• Tate Liverpool closes its doors for £30m revamp

• Exhibits move to Mann Island ahead of refurbishment

• How Tate Liverpool 'revived' a city

Planning permission for the project was granted by Liverpool City Council in October and construction will start early in 2024.

The "reimagining" of the galley has been designed by London-based 6a architects.

Gilbert Ash said its team is already in place "finalising plans to deal with the many logistical and technical challenges that lie ahead".

Some exhibits are temporarily housed in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) North on Mann Island

Tate Liverpool is housed in a 19th Century warehouse that was redesigned by Sir James Stirling and Michael Wilford in the late 1980s as the cornerstone of the regeneration of the Royal Albert Dock.

The redevelopment will include a new public Art Hall on the ground floor, opened up to admit daylight and views across the historic dock and new gallery spaces over three floors.

Plans for the Tate Liverpool building include a new public art hall

Emma King, Capital Director, Tate, said: "Gilbert Ash's track record of working to the highest standards on both cultural and heritage buildings makes them the perfect contractors to deliver the reimagined Tate Liverpool.

"We look forward to collaborating with the architects and contractors to deliver this once-in-a-generation renewal, creating an art museum fit for the 21st Century."

Funding for the project has come from the UK Government, including £10m from the Levelling Up Fund.