A picture of how the new Tate building is expected to look.

Tate Modern, in London, has revealed revised plans for its £215 million gallery re-development, set to be completed in 2012, in time for the London Olympics.

The original plan for a stacked box appearance has been abandoned and, in its place, is an 11-storey pyramidal structure. The building will rise 65 metres above the ground and will add 21,500 square metres of gallery space.

Forming the base of the structure will be the three oil tanks of the former power station, which will be retained and used as exhibition space.

The revised plans also show two new public spaces – a square resembling a city piazza and a new garden area.

The re-design of the building is described as setting new benchmarks for sustainablity and energy use by using a projected 40% less energy and 35% less carbon than current building regulations demand.

The re-development is designed to ease overcrowding at the gallery, which has seen large increases in visitors numbers in recent years. It is hoped that work on the project will begin next year, during which period the museum will remain open.

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