Bjarke Ingels unveils plans to turn Battersea chimneys into Tesla coils
by Kath Hudson | 28 Jul 2015
Bjarke Ingels has unveiled plans to turn the chimneys at Battersea Power Station into giant sparkling Tesla coils, powered by passing pedestrians.
Ingels’ architectural practice, BIG, is designing the public square next to the iconic London building on behalf of Malaysian consortium, SP Setia, which is developing the power station site with Frank Gehry-designed flower shaped apartment blocks and luxury flats from Sir Norman Foster.
The two level Malaysia Square will guide visitors through the landscape and create a 'calm and elegant entry' to the Battersea Park Station.
Ingels has said he wants the square to be an urban canvas for cultural expression, where landscape, architecture, urbanism and media design are in harmony.
It will be conceived as an urban amphitheatre for public, and spontaneous, performances. Both Malaysian stone grains and reclaimed power station chimney material will be used.
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Earlier this month, Ingels told an audience at the Royal Academy in London, that they are speaking to experts in Tesla coils to see how these could be incorporated into the chimneys.
The square could feature a piezoelectric pavement which stores energy as people walk over it, which could be released as an electric arc passing between the chimneys.
“We imagine it like Big Ben, when the clock strikes the hour, we can have this celebration of human energy and human life,” says Ingels.
“It could be interesting to create a public artwork that ties into the heritage of the power plant. We don’t have coal anymore, but we do have 50,000 people passing by every day. We would actually be able to generate quite a large amount of energy.”
The plans have yet to be approved, but a feasibilty study has been completed.
The two level square features a cascading staircase
Bjarke Ingels wants Malaysia Square to be an urban canvas for cultural expression
Bjarke Ingels has unveiled plans to turn the chimneys at Battersea Power Station into giant sparkling Tesla coils, powered by passing pedestrians. Ingels’ architectural practice, BIG, is designing the public square next to the iconic London building on behalf of Malaysian consortium, SP Setia, which is developing the power station site with Frank Gehry-designed flower shaped apartment blocks and luxury flats from Sir Norman Foster. The two level Malaysia Square
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