We caught up with Renzo Piano to talk about ecological architecture, how to design a “cultural building”, and what it means to build the first skyscraper in New York since September 11th.

The man who built the Pompidou Centre had a few things to say about his iconoclastic past and his ambition to create “buildings that […]

Fiona Sibley goes in search of interesting signage

Without directions, how would we find our way around? One of the big tasks facing Tate Modern 2’s designers will be to create a neat system of signs to lead people through the new building.

Contemporary architecture on a big scale often needs good signage – or wayfinding […]

We managed to catch up with Jacques Herzog for a couple of minutes straight after his talk at Tate Modern as part of our Real Architecture series of spring talks.

We listened to what he had to say about the evolving plans for Tate Modern’s extension, the planned plaza to the South entrance and the way […]

This week, members of the Tate staff who are involved in the project to transform Tate Modern went on a trip to visit the Laban Dance Centre, in Deptford, South East London. The centre opened in 2003 and won the prestigious Stirling Prize for architecture that same year. Not only is it a stunning building, it’s also […]

Admit it: half the joy of going to the Tate – or any museum – is browsing around the shop. Am I right? The British Museum plies a fine trade in merchandise, from Elgin Marbles fridge magnets to printed shopping bags that your mother might use and are now rather fashionable in an eco and […]

© Justine Stoddart

Recently we’ve been out on the front line here at The Great Tate Modblog, approaching visitors to Tate Modern to see if they had any practical and imaginative design ideas for TM2. With an audience of over 5 million a year the huge variety of motivations that draw people to the building all […]

‘Oh Manchester, so much to answer for’ Morrissey once said, and just for a change, he’s right.

I like Manchester, I like what it means. Manchester to me conjures up images of music, of artists, of designers, showing the rest of the world how it’s done. The Smiths, The Fall, Peter Saville, Factory Records. But […]

I recently came across this video of one of architect Rem Koolhaus’s creations, the Maison à Bordeaux.

The house is the subject of a film ‘Koolhass Houselife’ which focuses on the singular house and it’s owner, who is confined to a wheelchair, hence the plethora of moving platforms and walls that descend into the floor to allow access […]

Westminster underground station is one of my favourite spaces in London. It is designed to be rushed through without stopping, but it is absolutely stunning and award-winning architecture.

All the supporting beams of the building above have been integrated as design features, so you can see how it all works, but it’s too big to […]

Why do bars feel so formulaic and boring? Is it because so many offer a slightly different version of the same thing?

It needn’t be so. A good bar should be just as welcoming and difficult to leave as a homely pub – just with much better furniture and a more tantalising shelf of drinks […]

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It’s a cold February morning as I wander out of New Street station, and I’m greeted by the sing-song accents of the taxi drivers, the blue skies and the Rotunda. All around there’s an architectural mish-mash of the last fifty years. I think it’s beautiful. But I’m biased: this is the city where I grew […]

This is a short film I made as a personal response to Dan Graham’s ‘Waterloo Sunset Pavilion’ at the Southbank Centre. I often go and sit inside this glass-walled structure to get away from the crowds, think, and listen to the slow exhale of the air conditioning.

It’s a simply designed but very relaxing and inspirational space […]

“Never design anything that cannot be made”
Jean Prouvé

Whilst the foundations for Herzog and de Meuron’s design for Tate Modern 2 are being prepared this year, one building that has been erected in a much shorter time frame is Jean Prouvé’s Maison Tropicale that was recently installed on the north lawn outside Tate Modern, as an extension of […]

Fiona Sibley looks into the art of designing spaces for live performance and screenings.

Seeing a band in an intimate venue or unusual surroundings adds ambience in spades. But can auditorium design really help performances pack that extra punch?

Around the country, performing arts venues vary in design as much as the productions they showcase. Smaller, […]

Roving reporter Tom Keeley posts the first of his Style Files, this time from Newcastle.

‘Tickets please’, as I board the train to Newcastle.

Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, the train trundles on, eventually rolling over the River Tyne with views through the famous bridges that remind you instantly of where you are.

Newcastle and Gateshead have […]

Mike Cupcake talks about alternative spaces for art, performance, and a nice cup of tea.

I’ve been enjoying the discussions here on the ModBlog, but while I know my way around your usual galleries, cafes etc. they’re not where I spend most of my time. Let’s look at some spaces that provide a slightly different experience… […]

Designers may tell you that when they’re creating public spaces like shops, museums and libraries, they live and die by the maxim that you should keep it really simple.

But is simple good? Or just boring? I’m wondering whether people have got a bit jaded with simple venues to spend their weekends, and want more […]

What do the art spaces of the future look like? RIBA London challenged practising architects and architecture students to answer this question for a new competition, and their weird and wonderful proposals are on display at the National Theatre in London.

In the distinctly un-futuristic setting of the theatre’s foyer, the short-listed work offers a surreal […]

The 40-year career of Finnish designer Eero Aarnio has recently been the object of a retrospective exhibition at the rather spectacular Felleshus (Pan Nordic Building) of the Nordic Embassies in Berlin.

The show, Eero Aarnio – Retro-pop, Imagination and Daydreams, closed on 4 January 2008 but it is still worth a mention here as the public were […]

Tate Modern is really popular with babies (and their parents). It’s never too early to be exposed to culture after all. But babies need feeding, and it’s not always easy for mothers to find somewhere comfortable to do it - as Tate Member and new mother Victoria Dundas explains: