The designs by architects Frank Gehry and Norman Foster for the third phase of development at Battersea Power Station include 1,300 homes on either side of new high street leading to the iconic building.
The competition-winning project incorporates five blocks of apartments, including a titanium-clad building called The Flower, which will be Gehry Partners’ first permanent development in London. The firm is best known for their works of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Gehry said: “Our goal from the start has been to create a neighbourhood that connects into the historic fabric of the city of London, but one that has its own identity and integrity. We have tried to create humanistic environments that feel good to live in and visit.”
Meanwhile Foster, the architect of the Great Court within the British Museum and the Gherkin in the City, has designed a single wave-like building along the street called The Skyline.
The Skyline will accommodate around 650 homes, including the 103 affordable houses at the southern end, a medical centre, and a 160-room hotel. On the top of the building there will a 250 metre-long garden, which will make it one of London’s biggest roof gardens.
Architecture minister Ed Vaizey said: “The plans for a new high street for the capital show that London continues to attract the best in terms of architecture, design and innovation.”
Rob Tincknell, chief executive of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “Phase Three is an important part of our plans for the Power Station site, creating a new thoroughfare which will be at the heart of the new vibrant community. We are determined to create a genuine sense of place, and developing landmark buildings in which people are proud to make their home and work in is vital to us achieving that aim.”
Rafael Vinoly’s masterplan for the Battersea Power Station includes over 3,400 homes as well as offices, shops, restaurants, hotels, leisure facilities, and 18 acres of open space.
Work on the first phase of homes has begun in the summer of 2013, while the restoration of the grade II* power station is being executed by Purcell and Wilkinson Eyre.
Photo Source: Architect’s Journal
