Herzog & de Meuron’s extension for TateModern has been substantially revised and will require new planningpermission, Southwark Council revealed this week.Aspredicted by BD in April, the pyramid-like precast concrete structure’scast-glass cladding panels have been swapped for perforated redengineering brick following the fast-tracking of the original projectthrough planning and problems with the glazing.The scheme, setto be unveiled on Friday by Tate director Nicholas Serota and JacquesHerzog, is understood to have been reduced from 70m to 64m high withits protruding “boxes” removed and a rooftop balcony added, echoing thetop of Tate Modern’s chimney.Chair of Southwark’s planningcommittee James Gurling said: “They couldn’t engineer the glazed panelsto make it work with the building’s design. A full planning applicationis now expected as the facade has changed considerably, but we expectit to still begin on site in early 2009.”Theextension will now feature a “perforate screen” — set off the mainstructure — with gaps in the brickwork through which the concrete isvisible. Elsewhere the facade is punctured with horizontal “floor-high”window slots, with other large rectangular holes further exposing theconcrete.Herzog & de Meuron is said to have favoured aconcrete facade but a planning consultant hired by the Tate advisedthat the British public would find this “too ugly”.However, itsgreen credentials have improved, with waste heat from a nearbysubstation providing most of the building’s requirements.
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