Tate Gallery - Signage and Wayfinding Consultancy - Liverpool and St Ives

Tender description

The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery is seeking to appoint a signage and wayfinding consultant(s) to help realise two transformative capital projects: the reimagining of Tate Liverpool and the renovation of the historic Palais de Danse in St Ives We invite expressions of interest from studios with proven experience in delivering thoughtful, site-specific, and architecturally sensitive wayfinding strategies for complex public and cultural environments. Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Tate is embarking on an ambitious project to reimagine Tate Liverpool, reinforcing its role as a cultural anchor on the city's iconic waterfront. Tate Liverpool is the most visited contemporary art gallery outside of London and after welcoming over 20 million visitors over the past 30 years, the building is undergoing a significant refurbishment. The project will re-equip and refurbish the gallery spaces to meet the scale and ambition of today's most exciting artists, while creating social spaces that better connect with the city and its communities, creating an environment that is flexible and inviting and able to host people, art and ideas in equal part. Key interventions by 6a Architects include a new public-facing Art Hall, a reconfigured arrival sequence, improved vertical circulation, and enhanced connections to the river and city. The signage and wayfinding approach must mirror these values-adaptive, welcoming and seamlessly integrated into the architecture. We are looking for a consultant who can interpret the spatial narrative of the new Tate Liverpool into a legible and inclusive visitor journey that fosters curiosity, clarity and delight. Construction at Tate Liverpool will complete in October 2026 and will reopen in Spring 2027. Palais de Danse, St Ives The Palais de Danse in St Ives, Cornwall is a site of national cultural significance and deep local heritage. This intimate and characterful building-once a cinema, dance hall and wartime gathering space, and later, Barbara Hepworth's second working studio-sits opposite the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. The Palais will be sensitively renovated to unlock new layers of meaning, welcome and access, and support a rich programme of creative activity. Now in its delivery phase, with Adam Khan Architects leading design and RIBA Stage 4 complete, this transformational capital project will restore and reimagine the Palais as an accessible, vibrant space for storytelling, artistic practice, and community engagement. Opening is targeted for Q3 2026, with main construction finishing earlier that year. This is a rare opportunity to contribute to a landmark project that will honour Hepworth's legacy while shaping a new cultural chapter in St Ives. We are seeking a signage and wayfinding consultant to help weave together the narrative of this unique site with elegant, discreet interventions that support intuitive navigation, accessible visitor experiences, and deep engagement with Hepworth's life, work and environment.