Turner Contemporary in Margate awarded to Nuttall
Bunnik, Netherlands, 8 August 2005 – Edmund Nuttall Ltd, the British civil engineering specialist of Royal BAM Group nv, has been awarded the contract for realising Turner Contemporary in Margate (Kent). Margate is situated at the east coast of England, approximately forty kilometres north of Dover. The landmark building is situated on the pier and in the sea. Client is Kent County Council. The contract value amounts to more than €26 million.
Nuttall will complete the project by autumn 2007 and following fitting and other works, it will open to the public the following year. Turner Contemporary is expected to attract around 195,000 visitors a year from both inside and outside the UK.
Turner Contemporary is designed by the Norwegian-British team of architects Snohetta AS and Spence Associates. The building will have two elements: three floors of galleries housed in the sail-like form on the seaward side; and the cafe, restaurant, shop and administrative block on the pier. The two separate buildings will be linked by a wide glass bridge. The sail-like building will be constructed in a shipyard and this will be the first time such a major part of any building is built in this way. Work will start on pier strengthening in late summer/early autumn.
The idea for Turner Contemporary developed out of a number of local initiatives. In the 1990s, several active members of the community keen to promote the town’s illustrious past proposed that Margate should celebrate its links with one of Britain’s best-known artists, J.M.W. Turner (1775 - 1851). More than hundred of his works, including some of his most famous seascapes, were inspired by the East Kent coast. Turner Contemporary will house a changing programme of temporary exhibitions with three core strands – J.M.W. Turner, historical work post 1750 and contemporary work.
Further information: Arno C. Pronk, + 31 (0)30 659 86 21.