Travelling west from Vauxhall along the River Thames in London, the redevelopment of the huge area on the south side is beginning to change the riverside. Details have now been published of the new offices which will created as 6 new floors in the boiler house section of Battersea Power Station. The new offices, designed by Wilkinson Eyre architects and designers the Rockwell Group, are planned around a new glass atrium with a large lounge area at its base and will be designed with an industrial feel to compliment the original historic building. They will also have a roof garden and outdoor meeting “boxes” for the office tenants.
“The power station is at the heart of this new urban quarter for London and offers businesses a very special opportunity to re-locate,” ( Rob Ticknell, Chief Executive of Battersea Power Station Development). “For over fifty years the power station was a hard-working engine room of London and we have designed its upper floors to be a powerhouse of the future with state-of-the-art work and shared spaces to fuel imaginations.”
The exterior of Battersea Power Station will be enhanced with a new public space, Malaysia Square, designed by architects Bjarke Ingels Group, which will have an “urban canyon” with stairways and bridges inspired by the Malaysian landscape and include materials derived from Gunung Mulu National Park, with a hibiscus-shaped fountain representing Malaysia’s national flower.
“The innovative and thoughtful concepts underlying the creation of Malaysia Square honours the heritage and shared history of two nations to form a vibrant and exciting public space for residents and visitors to meet, mingle and shape the future together.” (Liew Kee Sin, Battersea Project Holding Company chairman). “It is the shareholders’ fondest wish that this will become an enduring landmark which celebrates the best of global East-West collaborations while giving every Malaysian who visits this spot in Central London a true sense of belonging and reminder of home.”
What remains to be published are the designs for the famous art deco control room, planned to be turned into a restaurant with all the original controls on display. (Photo of control room by Mike Deare).
Photos Battersea Power Station Development Company and Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership
