116 LIGHT + TECH
BATTERSEA POWER STATION is a beast of a building, and its new manifestation has had a fittingly elephantine gestation. There was a time when Pink Floyd’s embematic 1977 album cover featuring a flying pig over the hallmark chimneys became something of a metaphor for when a consensus on its future might be reached. Theme park, urban park, eco tower and even a new stadium for Chelsea FC have all been mooted among many other proposals that have fallen by the wayside, defeated by cost, logistics, planning issues and bankruptcies. After four decades of limbo, the £9bn outcome for the Grade II*-listed landmark and vast 42-acre (170,000 sq m) site is the perhaps inevitable mixed-use development – ofices, residential blocks, and retail and leisure outlets – plus an extension to the London Underground Northern Line and 77,000 sq m of public space including river frontage.
With widely varying facilities encompassing interior and exterior elements, and both historically sensitive and contemporary structures, the lighting masterplan was self- evidently a massive undertaking. Underpinning the scheme were environmental concerns, the need to protect the historic building fabric and minimising light spill for residents. Speirs Major, highly experienced in large- scale and historically sensitive projects from T5 Heathrow and Beijing Airport to St Paul’s Cathedral, won the limited competition for Battersea, and produced the lighting masterplan in 2014. This set out the long-term vision and guidelines, not only for the illumination of the Power Station and associated public spaces, but also the entire mixed-use scheme which was to be delivered in multiple phases over several years.
‘The masterplan was anchored by our wish
to create a spectacular after-dark image that celebrates both the industrial heritage and the new future for the Power Station,’ says senior partner Mark Major. ‘Our approach was to use light in support of a positive experience of the development for all its different users – delivering a sense of privacy and intimacy for residents, facilitating easy wayfinding for shoppers and diners, and creating a vibrant atmosphere for local visitors and tourists. The lighting solution provides a careful balance of light and darkness across the site, with adjustments being
Above Restoring the elegant art deco skylights of the pre-war control room A has once again flooded the space with natural light, while the original lozenge-shaped fixtures have been reinstated and refurbished with LEDs
Right Entrance to Boiler House South – the materials have influenced the lighting outcome with darker finishes and exposed brick providing little interreflection, creating a moodier, high-contrast urban feel
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