Work Begins On Tate Modern Extension

Building work started today on the £215m extension at Tate Modern. The ziggurat, which will rise from the southwest side of the existing building, is designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the firm responsible for the conversion of Bankside power station into the Tate we know and love. It should be completed for 2012, and will provide 60% more exhibition space, handy for a gallery that was designed to accommodate 2m visitors per year but currently welcomes over 5m. As is his wont, the Mayor biked down to the site this morning to catch a cupful of the reflected glory. where he donned a fetching hardhat (here's a pic of him with Tate director Nicholas Serota), chucked a spadeful of earth, and hailed the project as the harbinger of redevelopment in Southwark.