Battersea Power Station's iconic chimneys rebuilt from scratch for site's regeneration
Work has been completed on the rebuilding of Battersea Power Station’s iconic chimneys; the architectural centrepiece of the ongoing 42 acre regeneration of southwest London.
The two pairs of original chimneys – built in the 1930s and the 1950s respectively – are very familiar in popular culture, having made appearances in Doctor Who, 1984, Sherlock and Children of Men among other films and television shows. They also featured on the cover of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals, famously pictured with an inflatable pink pig floating above them.
However, the chimneys had to be demolished in 2014 as they were deemed unsafe and crumbling.
WilkinsonEyre, who are leading the redevelopment of the Power Station building, have overseen their reconstruction using the original engineering techniques.
Since May 2015, nearly 25,000 wheelbarrow loads of concrete have been hand-
poured into the chimneys, each of which stands at 51m tall and has an overall diameter of 9.05m (9054mm) at its base.
Rather than use a hose, the concrete was hoisted to the top of each chimney, transferred into wheelbarrows and then poured into the structures. Over 680 tonnes was used for each one.
As with the old chimneys, rings form around the new structures. These have been created through the ‘Jump Form’ shuttering method in which metal rings are filled with concrete and then moved up and filled again.
The north-east and south-west chimneys will still be actively used for Battersea’s new energy centre, which will provide heating and cooling to the entire new development.
"Battersea Power Station’s chimneys have been the backdrop for films, music videos and album covers and really are world famous,” said Rob Tincknell, CEO of the Battersea Power Station Development Company, which is overseeing the project. “On behalf of our shareholders, I’d like to say it has been an honour to restore this iconic symbol to the London skyline so that it can be enjoyed by generations to come.”
Battersea Power Station is one of central London’s largest new developments. Roughly half the project comprises retail, shops, restaurants and office space. There will also be a six acre public park, town square and a new tube station. In early 2017, new home-owners started moving into the first phase, Circus West Village, designed by architects SimpsonHaugh.
The £9bn project is being developed in six phases and will include schemes designed by Frank Gehry, Foster + Partners and Bjarke Ingels. It has been master planned by Rafael Viñoly and is being financially backed by Malaysian investment and property firm S P Setia Berhad.
Battersea Power Station was originally designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, also famous for creating Britain’s red telephone box. It was built using six million bricks and at its peak, supplied over a fifth of London’s electricity.
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