Month: October 2022
Battersea Power Station shopping centre
We have recently completed a number of projects at the new Battersea Power Station shopping centre.
Our store fit-out services have been in demand from retailers and hospitality businesses within the new £9bn development, including brands that we have worked with many times over the years.
Fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, opticians Ace & Tate and plant-based restaurant chain Clean Kitchen Club have all called on our expertise for their outlets within Battersea’s luxury shopping experience in west London.
Many of the retailers within the new shopping centre have paid homage to the venue’s industrial heritage through the design of their stores, as well as introducing new concepts and identities aimed at attracting the varied customers that are expected to visit the site.
Calvin Klein’s 250m sq lifestyle store boasts digital screens and a lounge area for relaxing and socialising. Their clothing collections include tailored pieces, womenswear and underwear.
Tommy Hilfiger, meanwhile, is showcasing its menswear and womenswear ranges within a light, airy and minimalist store.
The requirements for these, as well as for Ace and Tate and Clean Kitchen, needed to reflect their particular brand and interior design aesthetic while at the same time serving a practical purpose, whether for lighting design, kitchen appliance layout or security systems.
It was an absolute pleasure to be part of the development of these new units for such amazing brands and to be working in such an iconic venue.
Battersea Power Station development
The coal-fired Battersea Power Station was designed in 1927 by noted architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, creator of the red telephone boxes and the Bankside Power Station which now houses the Tate Modern. Work on the massive building was eventually completed in 1955 and during its heyday in the 1960s, Battersea produced a fifth of London’s electricity.
But as electricity production moved away from the use of coal during the 1970s, Battersea Power Station’s role diminished and it had been fully decommissioned by 1983.
The transformation of the Grade II-listed Battersea Power Station has been a long time coming, with the site lying derelict for nearly four decades and going through various attempts at regeneration in that time. Previous plans have included turning it into a theme park and a five star hotel, but it is now a mix of retail, leisure and residential elements.
The current redevelopment of the power station and 42 acres around it has taken nearly ten years to complete and officially opened to the public on October 14th, with a reported quarter of a million visitors during the first weekend.
The restoration of the iconic power station, which itself is said to have cost £1.15bn, has created a shopping centre, food outlets, high-end apartments and offices, including Apple London’s new 50,000m sq premises. The Art Deco features in the two huge turbine halls have been preserved, and there’s a nod to the building’s industrial heritage with the retention of some of the power station’s huge metal mechanisms and steelwork. Both control rooms have been restored and their original features retained, and they are being used as events and hospitality spaces.
The wider development surrounding the power station comprises modern luxury homes, more than 19 acres of public space, a path along the river and a pedestrianised street to the newly added Tube station. Some of the residential buildings have proved controversial, with criticism of their imposing nature that detracts from the power station, their unattractive appearance, and their eye watering price tags in an area where affordable housing is needed.
Our shop fit-out services
We’ve been working in the retail sector for many years, and provide shop fit-out electrical services to a range of clients from nationwide high street brands to smaller single units.
From brand new stores to refurbishments, our specialist team can plan, design and install bespoke electrical and lighting systems that fulfil all the requirements of each project and are fully compliant with all standards and regulations.
Read more about our shop fit-out services here or contact us on 0113 257 8212.