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Change of direction for Turner Contemporary

On this day: 7 July 2007

Not all projects go according to plan, and the original proposals for the building of the Turner Contemporary gallery on the seaward side of the harbour wall at Margate, was one such occasion.

Maxim was appointed by Kent County Council to provide PR support for the project back in 2007. The proposed gallery (below) was designed by architects Snøhetta and Spence. The sail-like building was to have been constructed in a shipyard and it would have been the first time such a major part of any building had been built in this way – and therein lay the problem.
 



On 7 July 2007, we helped announce the appointment of Edmund Nuttall Limited as the £17.6million main contractor, a great choice given its track record at Dover Harbour, the construction of the Medway Tunnel, strengthening work on the Medway Bridge, and infrastructure work on the Isle of Grain.

However, the building’s ambitious design didn’t stack up to intense engineering scrutiny, the costs spiralled, and the project was finally shelved.

While the final Turner Contemporary may not be so striking in design, at least being built on dry land has meant it hasn’t fallen into the sea against a backdrop of a striking JMW Turner sunset.

Since opening in 2011, the David Chipperfield-designed Turner Contemporary has welcomed more than four million visits, put over £80 million back into the Kent economy, and connected with thousands of people from the local community through its world class programme.

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