Introduction
Solinear’s latest project case study finally reveals one of the team’s best kept secrets and their work on one of the world’s most recognisable buildings – Battersea Power Station.
Located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, South West London, the iconic Battersea Power Station was realised after a proposal was made in 1927, for a station capable of generating 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Built by the London Power Company (LPC) to the design of Dr Leonard Pearce, Engineer in Chief to the LPC, and CS Allott & Son Engineers, when complete it would be LPC’s first super power station.
The proposal ignited protests from those who felt that the building would be too large and an eyesore, as well as concerns that pollution from the coal-fired power station would damage local buildings, parks and even paintings in the nearby Tate Gallery. Famous for his designs of amongst other things, the iconic red telephone box, aesthetic concerns were addressed by later hiring prominent architect and industrial designer Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to design the building’s exterior along with architect J. Theo Halliday as a sub-consultant. The power station would be designed in the brick-cathedral style, which was popular at the time.
The pollution issue was resolved by granting permission for the station on the condition that its emissions were to be treated, ensuring they were “clean and smokeless”.
Built in two stages within a single structure, the building comprises two power stations – Battersea A Power Station and Battersea B Power Station.
Construction of phase I (Battersea A Power Station) commenced in March 1929 with the main building work carried out by John Mowlem & Co, and the structural steelwork erection carried out by Sir William Arrol & Co. plus further contractors employed for specialist tasks. Most of the electrical equipment, including the steam turbine turbo generators, was produced by Metropolitan-Vickers in Manchester. The building of the steel frame began in October 1930. Once completed, the construction of the brick cladding began in March 1931. Until the construction of the B Station, the eastern wall of the boiler house was clad in corrugated metal sheeting as a temporary enclosure. The total cost of its construction was £2,141,550. Between construction beginning in 1929 and 1933, there were six fatal and 201 non-fatal accidents on the site.
After the cessation of the Second World War, construction continued on phase II (Battersea B Power Station) which had been paused due to the ongoing consequences of the war. Externally it was almost identical to Battersea A Power Station and was constructed directly to its east creating a mirroring image, which gave the power station its now familiar and iconic four-chimney structure. The station was completed in 1955. The construction of Battersea B Power Station increased the site’s overall generating capacity to 509 MW, making it the third largest generating site in the UK at the time, providing a fifth of London’s electricity. When Battersea Power Station opened It was also the most thermally efficient power station in the world.
A fire broke out on 20 April 1964 at the power station causing widespread power failures throughout the capital, including at the BBC Television Centre, which was due to launch BBC2 that night; subsequently the launch was delayed until the following morning.
Battersea Power Station was decommissioned between 1975 and 1983 and the whole structure was assigned Grade II listed building status in 1980 with its listed status upgraded to Grade II* in 2007.
The station is noteworthy for its original Art Deco interior fittings and décor and is one of the world’s largest brick buildings. The building’s gross dimensions measure 160 metres (520 ft) by 170 metres (560 ft), with the roof of the boiler house standing at over 50 metres (160 ft). Each of the four chimneys is made from concrete and stands 103 metres (338 ft) tall with a base diameter of 8.5 metres (28 ft) tapering to 6.7 metres (22 ft) at the top.
Its iconic structure has featured in or been used as a shooting location for numerous films, television programmes, music videos, and video games with one of the station’s earliest film appearances in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1936 film Sabotage – this was before the construction of the Battersea B Power Station.
A popular subject for artists and photographers in particular, one of its more notable appearances was on the cover photograph of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album, Animals. Taken in December 1976, the photo shows the power station with an inflatable pink pig floating above it. It was tethered to one of the power station’s chimneys but broke loose from its moorings and drifted into the flight path of Heathrow Airport. The album itself was officially launched at an event at the power station.
The station also appears in the 2006 film Children of Men, where it served as the fictional “Ark of Arts”. A pig balloon also appears in a scene as a homage to Pink Floyd.
The structure remained largely unused for more than 30 years after its closure and despite its listed status, in 2008 its condition was described as “very bad” by English Heritage, which included Battersea Power Station in its Heritage at Risk Register. The site was also listed on the 2004 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund.
Since the station’s closure, redevelopment plans have been drawn up by successive site owners, however for various reasons those plans never came to fruition.
Battersea Power Station, with a history of vicissitudes, faced an uncertain future until, in 2012 it was given a reprieve and a new purpose. The plans were approved, with redevelopment commencing a few years later.
The redevelopment of the site included the restoration of the historic Battersea Power Station itself and positioning it as the central focus of the regenerated site, housing a combination of residential accommodation, art and leisure facilities, shops, cafes, restaurants and office space.
In late 2016, Apple announced that the power station building would house its new London headquarters and by 2021, nearly one and a half thousand London employees would be consolidated from seven locations to occupy around 500,000 square feet of office space at the station. The move was later delayed to 2022 as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Solinear was appointed to design, manufacture, supply and install a rooftop louvre system that would frame the impressive new rooftop atriums nestled amongst the landscaped terrace gardens, crowning Battersea Power Station.
Task
The requirements for the louvre system to the new rooftop atriums were challenging from a technical standpoint.Solinear’s louvre system would need to be architecturally pleasing whilst allowing environmental ventilation to the offices below which includes Apple HQ. In addition to these requirements the louvres would also have to achieve a specific level of acoustic performance thus preventing noise pollution from the offices below to the private residences on the rooftop.
Solinear’s Viento system would be the ideal solution.
As well as the Viento louvres, Solinear was also tasked with designing, supplying and installing circular louvres to another location on the project.
Action
That well known motto by Frank Lloyd Wright “You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledgehammer on the construction site.” is a mantra that the Solinear team firmly respect, so adaptions had to be made during the design and production processes to avoid issues later on in the project.
For example, as a result of the gutter/rainwater pipe (RWP) requirement for the new atriums – within which Solinear’s Viento system would be fitted – affected plenums needed to be fabricated permitting the RWP to pass through at specific locations and the louvres to the front face of the system also needed to accommodate appurtenances such as light fixtures, wiring, etc.
With the aforementioned requirements in mind, the Solinear team set about working on the louvre system, but the logistical aspect of production would also have to be carefully monitored with regard to the Covid restrictions of the time.
Manufacturing continued at a steady pace and with a number of bespoke elements to consider; the motorized damper needed to be manufactured in such a way, that the actuator and associated wiring would fit within the confines of the plenum; the fixing detail of the louvres to the front face of the system also had to be developed so that they could be removable for future maintenance, however, fixings would have to be invisible for the sake of aesthetics. All visible aluminium components were finished with PPC to RAL 8022 (Black brown) 30% gloss whilst all non-visible components were either mill finish aluminium or galvanized steel.
Upon completion the entire arrangement would have to undergo rigorous acoustic performance testing at the University of Salford, to confirm that the system achieved the required acoustic performance – this would be vital for the environmental comfort of the residential areas adjacent to the rooftop atriums and the enjoyment of the gardens.
Transportation to site was carried out in accordance with a strict timetable; Deliveries needed to be scheduled 72 hours in advance, with a 15-minute window which, if missed, required re-booking for another 72 hours. All delivery vehicles needed to be FORS Silver standard as a minimum and either flat bed or retractable roof, to allow direct offloading by tower crane. The tower crane required a separate booking to the vehicle delivery slot, therefore if the delivery slot was available, but the tower crane wasn’t, then another arrangement had to be made which was mutually compatible.
It’s worth noting that the Covid pandemic delayed installation due to closure of the construction site and Solinear also faced delays as other trades were negotiating their own issues.
When site re-opened after the first Covid shutdown, there were staggered start times, limited workforce allowances and the allocated pedestrian routes around the site were continuously modified to allow for cleaning rotas.
When Solinear was able to start installation each Viento module had to be delivered to site pre-assembled and subsequently individual sections would be craned to the roof (370ft/113m from the ground).
The pre-assembled modules would then be expertly installed within pre-formed openings by Solinear installers who worked to pinpoint accuracy with minimal tolerance/margin for error.
Result
The Battersea Power Station project has further endorsed Solinear’s reputation of cultivating a “can do” approach and broadened the team’s experience of developing highly engineered, bespoke louvre systems beyond the typical “static” screening. The engineering of the entire system not only realized the project requirements but was accomplished without compromising aesthetic appeal and with consideration for ease of future maintenance.
The tailored configuration of architectural louvre, motorized damper and acoustic louvre module as a maintainable arrangement is an exceptionally specialised product that the Solinear team has taken pride in designing and manufacturing. It is so specific in its requirements that Solinear may be the only engineers of such a system, or at the very least one of a very limited number of specialist manufacturers who are able to offer this product.
Solinear’s involvement in this project has proven to be vital in maintaining the essential environmental comfort for both residents and office workers located at Battersea Power Station, including the one and a half thousand Apple employees who will benefit from Solinear’s Viento motorised louvres. As well as the practical application of these louvres, they present themselves as an industrial feature yet with a sleek unassuming minimalist aesthetic – sitting comfortably amongst the landscaped greenery – and nods to the powers station’s working past.
This was Solinear’s first time working with OAG, whose impressive, glazed roofs crown the development and as a result of this successful partnership, a further three projects have benefited from a Solinear/OAG collaboration. The Solinear team very much looks forward to working with them again in future.
Alongside the inspiring teamwork and the privilege of working on the Battersea Power Station development, Solinear site employees marveled at the spectacle that was bringing this once neglected edifice back to life; The site operated as a self-contained “township” and included an entire Speedy depot alongside a well-equipped medical centre, canteen and training/certification centre amongst other facilities catering for everyone’s needs on site.
Congratulations to everyone who made this project an incredibly successful endeavor; amongst those dedicated souls, the Solinear team is proud to secure a place in both the history and future of Battersea Power Station. As the original landmark with its familiar chimneys, distinguished shape and Art Deco design nears its centenary – rejuvenated and restored to its former glory – it now continues to be an iconic presence amongst the London skyline.
The Battersea Power Station development officially opened to the public on 14 October 2022 – exactly 42 years to the day, after Battersea Power Station was granted Grade II listed status.
Battersea Power Station, also joins Solinear’s list of award-winning projects winning a Best Mixed-Use Scheme by the Building London Planning Awards for its integration of retail, office, leisure, culture and residential space, all within the original historic envelope of the building.
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