Art in Former Factories — Five Great European Conversions

At a Glance

Since the late 20th century, Europe has been remarkable for turning old factories, power plants, and breweries into contemporary art museums. Their tall halls and raw surfaces suit large installation and conceptual work, and today many of Europe's most interesting "labs of contemporary art" began as spaces of labour and energy.

Five Great Conversions

• Tate Modern, London — the 1947–81 Bankside Power Station converted in 2000 by Herzog & de Meuron. The Turbine Hall is the world's most famous installation space; the 2016 Switch House extension added new galleries.
• CaixaForum, Madrid — an 1899 electrical substation re-interpreted by Herzog & de Meuron with a Patrick Blanc vertical garden beside it.
• Fondazione Prada, Milan — a 1910s distillery reconstructed by OMA (Rem Koolhaas), with the gold-clad Haunted House tower and an in-house cinema.
• Kraftwerk Berlin — a former East German combined heat-and-power plant now dedicated to large sound and video installations.
• Gasometer Oberhausen, Ruhr — a 117 m-tall 1929 gas holder, one of Europe's largest enclosed interiors, hosting big installation exhibitions by Christo and others.

Visiting Tips

At all five, half the experience is the space itself—go to feel the volume and pathways as much as to see any one show. Tate Modern and CaixaForum are easy city-centre visits. Fondazione Prada is 20 minutes from Milan's centre by tram; Kraftwerk and Gasometer each about 30 minutes out by S-Bahn or metro. Expect cool, dim halls—wear comfortable shoes and a layer. Weekday mornings are the calmest.