Millbank Millennium Pier is a pier

Pier

A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...

 on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

, in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It is served by boats operating under licence from London River Services

London River Services

London River Services is a division of Transport for London , which manages passenger transport on the River Thames in London, UK. They do not own or operate any boats but license the services of other operators...

 and is situated close to the Tate Britain

Tate Britain

Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...

 art gallery on Millbank

Millbank

Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster...

, between Lambeth Bridge

Lambeth Bridge

Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east-west direction in central London, England; the river flows north at the crossing point...

 and Vauxhall Bridge

Vauxhall Bridge

Vauxhall Bridge is a Grade II* listed steel and granite deck arch bridge in central London. It crosses the River Thames in a south–east north–west direction between Vauxhall on the south bank and Pimlico on the north bank...

 on the west bank of the Thames.

Services

The pier is served by the Tate-to-Tate river bus service, which links the Tate Britain with the Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...

 Gallery via a Thames boat service.

Millennium fund

Millbank Millennium Pier was opened on 22 May 2003 by London Mayor Ken Livingstone

Ken Livingstone

Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...

. Its creation was funded by the Millennium Commission

Millennium Commission

The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery....

 as part of the Thames 2000 project, and it was the fifth and last of the new central London piers built with funding from the Millennium Commission

Millennium Commission

The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery....

 (the others being Blackfriars Millennium Pier

Blackfriars Millennium Pier

Blackfriars Millennium Pier is a pier on the River Thames, in the Blackfriars area of London, United Kingdom. It is served by boats operating under licence from London River Services and is situated on the north bank of the Thames, adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge.The pier is located almost directly...

, Waterloo Millennium Pier

Waterloo Millennium Pier

London Eye Pier is a pier on South Bank of the River Thames in Central London, UK, located directly in front of the London Eye....

, Westminster Millennium Pier

Westminster Millennium Pier

Westminster Millennium Pier is a pier on the River Thames, in the City of Westminster in London, UK. It is operated by London River Services and served by various river transport and cruise operators....

 and Tower Millennium Pier

Tower Millennium Pier

Tower Millennium Pier is a pier on the River Thames, in London, UK. It is operated by London River Services and served by various river transport and cruise operators...

). The project was part of an integrated transport and regeneration strategy for the Thames led by London's Cross-River Partnership.

Design and Construction

The Millbank Millennium Pier was designed and project managed by Beckett Rankine with Marks Barfield Architects and the artist Angela Bulloch. The pier is notable for its angular, constructivist

Constructivist architecture

Constructivist architecture was a form of modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s. It combined advanced technology and engineering with an avowedly Communist social purpose. Although it was divided into several competing factions, the movement produced...

 steel structure. The main contractor was Mowlem with the steel fabrication by K&N Welding and electrical work by Philipsons. The pier has been awarded a number of prizes for its distinctive design, including a RIBA

Riba

Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...

 award, a Commendation by the ICE Merit Award judges, and a 2004 D&AD

D&AD

Design and Art Direction is a British educational charity which exists to promote excellence in design and advertising...

 Yellow Pencil Award.