By Sharen Kaur
Published in NST on Oct 28, 2014
Published in NST on Oct 28, 2014
INNOVATIVE: Battersea Power Station project set to stand out among London’s iconic structures
AN ICONIC structure includes a design that is “ground breaking” and sets new standards in its field. Such a design also stands the test of time and will be admired for generations.
An example is the Chrysler Building, an Art Deco-style skyscraper in New York City. At 319 metres, the structure was the world’s tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is still the tallest brick building in the world, albeit with an internal steel skeleton.
The Swiss Re Building in London designed by Foster + Partners shook up the design of skyscrapers in the British capital, and influenced buildings further afield. Abandoning the standard rectilinear point blocks, Norman Foster went for a curvaceous form that soon became dubbed “The Gherkin”.
But an iconic design or structure should not always follow a formula of fame and visual appeal. Take for example the Battersea Power Station regeneration project in London. This project is an eye-catching play of innovation and ideas that come from all those involved in the project development.
Battersea Power Station is one of London’s best loved landmarks after providing the city with electricity for 50 years. It was built in the 1930s but has stood dormant since 1983, despite many failed attempts to redevelop the site.
The site was placed into administration in 2011 with Ernst & Young after Lloyds Banking Group and Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency called in debt against the struggling Irish developer, Real Estate Opportunities, which controlled the power station.
In 2012, a Malaysian consortium of investors called the Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) acquired the 15.6ha site for £400 million (RM2.1 billion).
The consortium, comprising SP Setia Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), is turning the site into a luxury accommodation and leisure development for the world market.
Wandsworth Council has said the deal was “potentially very good news”.
Rob Tincknell, the chief executive of BPSDC, said in 2012 the project was finally happening, thanks to the right combination of financial muscle, political will and shared commitment from everyone concerned.
The three Malaysian companies all come with impeccable credentials. SP Setia is Malaysia’s leading property developer, with a track record of large-scale developments; Sime Darby is a multinational conglomerate and the world’s biggest planter with a market capitalisation of around £10 billion; and EPF is one of the world’s most liquid pension funds.
The SP Setia and Sime Darby Property plans involve the development of a sustainable multi-use real estate regeneration project that will provide economic impetus for the creation of a new vibrant centre for southwest central London, and also, for the world.
They have roped in two of the world’s award-winning architects — Frank Gehry and Norman Foster — to design a series of buildings as part of the £8 billion redevelopment.
Gehry will collaborate with Foster to carry out Phase Three of the Rafael Viñoly-designed master plan, adding a shopping street to connect the old Victorian power station with a new London Underground station, and building residential neighbourhoods on either side.
Foster, through his London officer Foster + Partners, will add residential buildings to the east, while Gehry, via Gehry Partners, will work on the residential zone to the west — the architect’s first major project in the United Kingdom.
The two will also co-design The High Street, a retail stretch that will comprise shops, restaurants, a hotel, a library and a leisure centre.
Battersea Project Holding Company Ltd (BPHC) chairman Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin said the consortium was extremely pleased with the political support that the project has received at the local and national levels.
“The Battersea Power Station regeneration is a remarkable project. We never expected it to go so fast. It is beyond expectations, thanks to the support from local and international bankers and customers, as well as the Malaysian and British governments.
“This is a 10-year development and we are already planning the global launch of Phase 3. In terms of Phase 1 construction, we are restoring the chimneys while repair on the bricks works are on schedule. Sales for Phase 1 and 2 are also way beyond our expectations and that of any developer in London.
“This project is no longer about SP Setia, Sime Darby or EPF but rather a Malaysian project carrying the Malaysian flag, and we are very proud of it,” Liew told Property Times in an interview, here, recently.
The Grade II-listed structure, designed with the help of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the man behind red telephone boxes, is the largest brick building in Europe with four chimneys.
As part of the redevelopment, the chimneys, which provided a backdrop to Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller film “Sabotage”, will be removed and rebuilt one by one.
It will take nine months to rebuild each chimney, and three years for this part of the project to be completed. The magnificent Art Deco structure will remain.
The cost of the redevelopment is £203 million, which is for the restoration of the power station, construction of 3,400 new homes, 1.7 million sq ft of offices, 550,000 sq ft of retail space, new hotels, and an entertainment district that will include a cinema as well as the extension of the London Underground’s Northern Line. The development will also have a 7ha park.
Infrastructure work around the power station started late last year, while construction on Phase 1 started in the last quarter of the same year. The first phase of the redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2016.
Phase 1 involves 864 apartments being built around the power station, with work then moving to the power station itself. Phase 2 will have 254 apartments.
AN ICONIC structure includes a design that is “ground breaking” and sets new standards in its field. Such a design also stands the test of time and will be admired for generations.
An example is the Chrysler Building, an Art Deco-style skyscraper in New York City. At 319 metres, the structure was the world’s tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is still the tallest brick building in the world, albeit with an internal steel skeleton.
The Swiss Re Building in London designed by Foster + Partners shook up the design of skyscrapers in the British capital, and influenced buildings further afield. Abandoning the standard rectilinear point blocks, Norman Foster went for a curvaceous form that soon became dubbed “The Gherkin”.
But an iconic design or structure should not always follow a formula of fame and visual appeal. Take for example the Battersea Power Station regeneration project in London. This project is an eye-catching play of innovation and ideas that come from all those involved in the project development.
Battersea Power Station is one of London’s best loved landmarks after providing the city with electricity for 50 years. It was built in the 1930s but has stood dormant since 1983, despite many failed attempts to redevelop the site.
The site was placed into administration in 2011 with Ernst & Young after Lloyds Banking Group and Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency called in debt against the struggling Irish developer, Real Estate Opportunities, which controlled the power station.
In 2012, a Malaysian consortium of investors called the Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) acquired the 15.6ha site for £400 million (RM2.1 billion).
The consortium, comprising SP Setia Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), is turning the site into a luxury accommodation and leisure development for the world market.
Wandsworth Council has said the deal was “potentially very good news”.
Rob Tincknell, the chief executive of BPSDC, said in 2012 the project was finally happening, thanks to the right combination of financial muscle, political will and shared commitment from everyone concerned.
The three Malaysian companies all come with impeccable credentials. SP Setia is Malaysia’s leading property developer, with a track record of large-scale developments; Sime Darby is a multinational conglomerate and the world’s biggest planter with a market capitalisation of around £10 billion; and EPF is one of the world’s most liquid pension funds.
The SP Setia and Sime Darby Property plans involve the development of a sustainable multi-use real estate regeneration project that will provide economic impetus for the creation of a new vibrant centre for southwest central London, and also, for the world.
They have roped in two of the world’s award-winning architects — Frank Gehry and Norman Foster — to design a series of buildings as part of the £8 billion redevelopment.
Gehry will collaborate with Foster to carry out Phase Three of the Rafael Viñoly-designed master plan, adding a shopping street to connect the old Victorian power station with a new London Underground station, and building residential neighbourhoods on either side.
Foster, through his London officer Foster + Partners, will add residential buildings to the east, while Gehry, via Gehry Partners, will work on the residential zone to the west — the architect’s first major project in the United Kingdom.
The two will also co-design The High Street, a retail stretch that will comprise shops, restaurants, a hotel, a library and a leisure centre.
Battersea Project Holding Company Ltd (BPHC) chairman Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin said the consortium was extremely pleased with the political support that the project has received at the local and national levels.
“The Battersea Power Station regeneration is a remarkable project. We never expected it to go so fast. It is beyond expectations, thanks to the support from local and international bankers and customers, as well as the Malaysian and British governments.
“This is a 10-year development and we are already planning the global launch of Phase 3. In terms of Phase 1 construction, we are restoring the chimneys while repair on the bricks works are on schedule. Sales for Phase 1 and 2 are also way beyond our expectations and that of any developer in London.
“This project is no longer about SP Setia, Sime Darby or EPF but rather a Malaysian project carrying the Malaysian flag, and we are very proud of it,” Liew told Property Times in an interview, here, recently.
The Grade II-listed structure, designed with the help of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the man behind red telephone boxes, is the largest brick building in Europe with four chimneys.
As part of the redevelopment, the chimneys, which provided a backdrop to Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller film “Sabotage”, will be removed and rebuilt one by one.
It will take nine months to rebuild each chimney, and three years for this part of the project to be completed. The magnificent Art Deco structure will remain.
The cost of the redevelopment is £203 million, which is for the restoration of the power station, construction of 3,400 new homes, 1.7 million sq ft of offices, 550,000 sq ft of retail space, new hotels, and an entertainment district that will include a cinema as well as the extension of the London Underground’s Northern Line. The development will also have a 7ha park.
Infrastructure work around the power station started late last year, while construction on Phase 1 started in the last quarter of the same year. The first phase of the redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2016.
Phase 1 involves 864 apartments being built around the power station, with work then moving to the power station itself. Phase 2 will have 254 apartments.
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