Wilkinson Eyre completes long-awaited redevelopment of iconic Battersea Power Station

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2022/10/05/battersea-power-station-opens-wilkinson-eyre/









Architecture studio Wilkinson Eyre has unveiled the redeveloped Battersea Power Station in London ahead of its opening next week, almost 40 years after the building was decommissioned. The former power station, which now contains over 100 shops, 46,000 square metres of office space for technology brand Apple and 254 apartments is set to officially open to the public on 14 October.









Designed by British architect Giles Gilbert Scott, Battersea Power Station was originally opened in the 1930s before later being expanded to create its distinctive four-chimney-form that sits alongside the River Thames. After it was decommissioned between 1975 and 1983 it remained empty for almost 30 years before being redeveloped by Wilkinson Eyre as the centrepiece of a new commercial and residential neighbourhood in Battersea.









WilkinsonEyre aimed to retain and emphasise as many of grade II* listed power station's original spaces and materials throughout the design, while logically organising the large building's various functions. "The main architectural response was to introduce a rich mix of uses that employ the spaces appropriately," explained WilkinsonEyre director Sebastien Ricard.









"At the same time, we were keen that visitors would always be aware of the historic fabric and that they were in a unique space," he told Dezeen. "Thus, the introduction of the suspended office accommodation within the Boiler House that allows the north and south elevations to be seen from inside, and preserves views up to the towering chimneys," he continued. "At other key points throughout the building, the new structure is stepped back to allow the original spaces to breathe and tell their story."

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