London, United Kingdom

Perhaps more prominent than the Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, or the “Gerkin,” WilkinsonEyre’s major restoration and repurposing of the iconic Battersea Power Station, the red-brick behemoth with a 338-foot-tall white chimney at each of its four corners, is a key London landmark like no other.

The completed renovation by WilkinsonEyre is consistent with and sympathetic to Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s masterpiece, with its tour-de-force chimneys and turbine halls remaining the dominant features of the building.

Retaining the Power Station’s sense of scale and visual drama is key to the project and is achieved through features such as full-height voids behind the southern and northern entrances, a vast central atrium, and the unobstructed turbine halls which have become retail gallerias.

The architectural interventions respect the integrity of the historic landmark while creating new events spaces, shops, restaurants and cafés, large open-plan office spaces, and a series of Sky Villas positioned around rooftop garden squares above the Boiler House and Turbine Halls.

The whole project forms the cornerstone of a £9 billion regeneration project, which also includes 8ha of public space, all serviced by the newly opened extension to the London Underground Northern Line.

WilkinsonEyre was appointed to the project back in 2013.

“It has been a privilege to restore and transform this iconic building, not only saving and celebrating the original features but creating interventions which bring the structure alive again,” states Sebastien Ricard, Director, WilkinsonEyre.

“I’m excited that these incredible volumes–the Turbine Halls and Boiler House–will, for the first time, be open to all. We’ve taken great inspiration from Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in everything from the drama and scale right through to individual material choices and I hope this is reflected in the experience of residents and visitors.” 

Originally designed in the 1930s by the UK’s renowned architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Battersea Power Station historically provided one-fifth of London’s electricity, supplying some of the capital’s most recognizable landmarks including the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, before being decommissioned in 1983. 

It’s best known for featuring on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals, on which it was photographed with the group’s inflatable pig floating between the chimneys and often featured in the 1980s drawings and imagination of classicist architect Leon Krier.

The station once consumed up to 1,600 tons of coal a day to power much of London. 

When it began going off-line in 1975, there was talk of demolition. 

But in 1980 the building was “listed,” or given landmark protection. 

The peripheral neighborhood, called Nine Elms, was already on its way to becoming a maze of undistinguished, indistinguishable towers.

Fortunately, under the supervision of the London firm of WilkinsonEyre, the station itself has been brought back to life and opened this month for the first time to the public.

The residential elements of the renovation are a mixture of new build apartments and villas, and conversion units located within the existing fabric of the Power Station. 

The accommodation occupies both Switch House West and Switch House East, on either side of the Power Station, as well as centrally on top of the Boiler House roof, framing an open landscaped garden square.

Residents of the converted Switch House homes enter the building through landscaped piazzas at ground level, while the Boiler House villas are accessed via a glass lift between the structural girders of the former wash towers, the iconic chimneys visible above.

The properties have a variety of layouts and sizes depending on their location in the building, responding organically to this unique address. 

Battersea welcomed its first residents in May 2021.

By opening up the magnificently restored Turbine Halls to the public for the first time, the power station has become one of London’s most exciting retail destinations. 

Through the preservation of the existing fabric and finishes, the major volumes within the building are now exploited to the best advantage. 

Spanning over three levels of specially designed galleries, a wide array of restaurants, shops, and event spaces create a vibrant and positive atmosphere throughout the day.

The Power Station’s original Control Rooms with their different period styling have also been fully restored. 

Control Room A is set to become a unique events space and Control Room B has been transformed into a new all-day bar concept, where patrons will be able to get up close to the original dials and controls.

The Power Station will be host to a number of entertainment venues cementing its position as one of London’s go-to leisure destinations, including the Cinema at the Power Station.

Set across six floors within the upper Boiler House, the office space is attracting the cream of international creative tenants interested in new ways of working, open-plan spaces, and an industrial aesthetic. 

Apple is the largest tenant occupying more than 46,000m² across six floors.

An enormous atrium at the heart of the space, together with others at the north and south entrances, filters light to all office floors while allowing views of the chimneys above.

Lift 109 is a glazed elevator car experience that carries visitors up to the top of the building’s 50m northwest chimney. 

Carrying up to 30 passengers, it will emerge 109m above the ground, to reveal 360-degree views across London. 

The attraction will be open to the public as well as be available for private events; the experience is rounded off with an exhibition on the Power Station’s history in Turbine Hall A.

Project: Battersea Power Station
Architects: WilkinsonEyre
Landscape Architects: LDA Design
Original Architects: Giles Gilbert Scott and Theo Halliday
Conservation Consultants: Purcell
Structural Engineers: Buro Happold
M&E: Chapman BDSP
Construction Manager: MACE
Lighting Designers: Spiers & Major
Planning Consultants: DP9
Project Manager: Turner & Townsend
Client: Battersea Power Station Development Company
Photographers: Hufton and Crow, Backdrop Productions, Jason Hawkes, and James Budgen