Battersea Power Station

We took a studio trip south of the river to check out the recently opened Battersea Power Station; a project which some of our team have worked on in the past at previous practices

Designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, the massive building is often referred to as the largest brick building in the world and in its operational life provided a fifth of London’s power. After decades of failed attempts, the Power Station has been comprehensively refurbished as the centrepiece of the £9 billion redevelopment masterplan. Now open to the public, the destination building offers a rich mixture of uses focused on retail, leisure and F&B along with residential apartments and modern office space, with the European Headquarters of Apple due to open soon in the top levels of the building.

Built in two halves, the Power Station offers a retail focused environment in the rich 1930s Art Deco interior of the west-side turbine hall. The east-side turbine hall has more of a leisure focus, building upon the more modern utilitarian architecture of the 1950s interiors. Clever touches hark back to the industrial history such as the floor tiling design which traces the form of the historic turbines- storytelling is at the heart of the design. The waterfront has been completely transformed into an extensively planted green public space, well provided with restaurants and activities.

‘After seeing the grand building under scaffolding for so long, it was great to finally see the project come into fruition. The building is so impressive in its scale. The development and design team have done an incredible job in restoring this important piece of London’s history and finding new uses which can reawaken the building and drive regeneration and a sense of place for Battersea and Nine Elms’ – Laura