The Tate Modern extension is set to be approved by local council, says London’s Evening Standard

The original design, a pyramid made of glass cubes, was redrawn to look as if it is “growing out” of the original gallery. The 11-storey building will provide nearly 25,000sq m of floor space, including a 1,500sq m gallery.

It has become vital to the future of the gallery because of rising visitor numbers. Tate Modern was designed for 1.8million visitors annually, but has reached an average of 4.6 million over recent years and is one of Britain’s most popular attractions.

A Tate spokesman said: “There is huge pressure on public facilities. More space is needed to maintain and develop our programme.” [ . . . ]

Rowan Moore, the Evening Standard’s architecture critic, wrote about the new version of the Tate’s proposed extension last year: “What was a glassy pile of boxes has become brick and smooth-skinned. The new version is still emphatic, a hefty, hard-to-miss brick tower, but it is no longer a battle of design ideas. The big move is to use the same material as that of the old power station that houses Tate Modern, while using it to make a brick building such as has never been seen before. The bricks hover. Light shines through them. Brick walls are folded like paper… futuristic. Quite simply, the design has got better.”

Pyramid on the Thames: Tate Modern’s ‘unique’ extension gets the go-ahead (This is London/Evening Standard)