Tate Britan

Situated on Millbank in London, Tate Britain is a tourist hotspot

dedicated to the finest British art dating back to the 16th century.

The site originally housed the Millbank prison which was the main

departure point for criminals being sent to Australia. Following the

demolition of the prison, the National Gallery of British Art (Tate Britain

as of 2000) was opened in 1897 by Sir Henry Tate, making it the first

of the four Tate galleries.

The building has gone through numerous renovations since it’s 19th

century opening. In 1987, the Clore gallery was opened and went

on to win a Royal Institute of Architects award the following year.

More recently in 2006, Caruso St. John architects began a long term

development and renovation project which aimed to create nine

new galleries. The redevelopment featured a number of different

renovations spanning seven years, whereby Allgood were chosen

to supply an Ironmongery and an access control solution in the new

galleries.

Working on such a prestigious project, it was evident that aesthetics

were of paramount importance. The architect desired a unique finish

on items, so Allgood worked closely to produce a shot peened finish

on some of the stainless steel furniture. To create a clean aesthetic

on doors which required push plates and signage, Allgood created

an all in one solution by shot peening stainless steel plates, blanking

off areas to create contrasting areasfor signage to be screen printed

within.

Many doors within the gallery space were of traditional arched

design which caused a challenge on fire doors with self-closing

requirements. Allgood’s solution to this issue was to specify floor

springs combined with projection hinges to provide a specification

that would self-close in conjunction with the door geometry.

Furthermore, to minimise the aesthetic impact of the floor springs,

bespoke tile trays with access holes were created to conceal the

floor springs whilst providing easy access for floor spring adjustment.

This provided an aesthetically pleasing solution for a very technical

application.

Having previously worked with the museum on their Manton

shop, Allgoodwere well prepared for this project and the existing

relationship enabled a smooth operation that was completed on time

and within budget.