Detailed designs by Wilkinson Eyre Architects for the building are being put on display for public consultation this week.
Wilkinson Eyre has built on the Rafael Viñoly master plan, which was approved by Wandsworth Borough Council in August 2011, to come up with proposals that “preserve and restore the architectural splendour of the building”.
It will contain a new events space, shops, restaurants and cafes. There will be large open-plan office spaces and homes on the top around a ‘garden square in the sky’.
The proposals comprise 40,000 sqm of shops, cafes and restaurants, 58,000 sqm of offices and 248 homes.
Both turbine halls are to remain left largely unobstructed internally with the cafes, shops and restaurants recessed off the sides of the halls. A full-height void will provide views of chimneys from inside.
A new central atrium will be created in the Boiler House, in place of the eight smaller atria.
A concealed lift will provide access to a public viewing platform, 110m up, at the top of northwest chimney.
Wilkinson Eyre director Jim Eyre said: “We wanted to ensure that the proposed designs were consistent with and sympathetic to Sir Gilbert Scott’s masterpiece, with the chimneys and turbine halls remaining the dominant features of the building. It was important to us to retain the Power Station’s sense of scale and visual drama, which is achieved through design features such as the full-height glass void behind the southern wall and the vast, central atrium. It was also really important to restore a sense of energy to the building so that people have a rewarding experience each and every time they visit.”
Battersea Power Station Development Company CEO Rob Tincknell said: “It’s really important to everyone involved in this incredible project that we get the restoration and future use of the Power Station exactly right. We feel that what we are proposing retains and respects the integrity of this historic landmark whilst also creating vibrant living, working and recreational space that this part of London needs. The scheme that we are proposing will see the building restored, opened up to the public and safeguarded for future generations.”
The consultation will be held in The View building on the Power Station site. Access is via Gate 2 on Kirtling Street, Tuesday 5 November to Sunday 10 November.
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