Nearly 40 years after its lights were switched off, London’s Battersea Power Station has reopened as a mixed-use complex featuring shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues. Inaugural retailers in the complex include Nike, Uniqlo, Mulberry and Hugo Boss.
In addition to restored turbine halls that can be toured by visitors, the complex includes Electric Boulevard, a new pedestrian high street running between two high-rise residential complexes: Gehry Partners’ Prospect Place and Foster + Partners’ Battersea Roof Gardens. The boulevard also includes access to link to a London Underground Station.
Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Co., said many believed finding a new use for the mothballed power plant “was impossible, and several tried and failed. However, through the commitment of our shareholders and with the support of many public and private sector stakeholders, we’ve succeeded in bringing Battersea Power Station back to life.”
Situated on the Thames River, Battersea Power Station first generated power in 1933, initially from a single turbine hall with two chimneys. It expanded in 1944, when turbine hall B powered up, and a fourth chimney was completed in 1955. At its peak, Battersea supplied a fifth of London’s electricity, including to Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. A few years before building was decommissioned in 1983, it gained an additional claim to fame, appearing on the cover of Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album.