NEW HAVENS
British practice Michaelis Boyd relished the task of designing the well-appointed apartments within Battersea Power Station, creating enviable homes within a remarkable setting. The firm’s co-founder Tim Boyd discusses the intricacies of its construction
What was your first impression of the Battersea Power Station?
When we were asked to put forward a proposal, we were ecstatic at the opportunity. Talking to the developers and everybody who was involved in it, it came out that the right way to approach it was to really celebrate its Britishness. It’s been such an iconic building in London. When I was a kid, I remember it still functioning as a power station. This is such a massive undertaking but it’s also an incredible honour to be part of piecing it together again.
What was the brief given for this project?
What we set out to do was to respect the fabric of the building and to achieve contemporary apartments within this historic building. What was most enjoyable for us, was to bring that aesthetic of the building into the interiors and to sort of keep it very English.
The idea was that it (represents) the best of British design; everything that’s within is meant to be very representative of London and where we are in design and in respect to the fabric of the building.
What were the biggest challenges of this project?
Maximising the existing floor plans and getting the drainage out was really the biggest challenge. That sort of dictated a lot of the floor plans; the stacking (the way that the units are stacked and arranged on each floor) is incredibly complex. That was the first big challenge: to get the number of apartments that the developers wanted and to get it to actually work. It’s the biggest brick building in Europe; I think that it’s remarkable that it’s actually being pieced back together. We worked very closely with Wilkinsoneyre and Battersea Power Station to actually maximise the spaces and make sure that all the primary spaces have the best views. When you walk into the apartments you get a sense of the openness; views of the lobby into the sitting area, views out through the window.
Could you tell us more about the materials you selected for this project?
We exposed the existing brickwork; the brickwork that was not in good condition was replaced. Then we worked with the material palette to sit comfortably within that. There are two material palettes: Heritage 33 and Heritage 47. The power station was built in two stages, so the looks relate back to those dates. Heritage 33 is darker and richer with unlacquered brass (and other) materials that will patinate and age with time. The other has a cleaner, more contemporary feel to it with paler floors and polished nickel. The chevron timber floors add a lot of texture. We worked with a lot of natural materials, finished in waterproof plaster.
How does this project relate to your design philosophy?
In terms of our philosophy, it fits with what we’re doing anyway; we work with a lot of existing buildings. The challenge is to maximise the daylight, make sense of the circulation within it and introduce elements for the 21st century. What we were asked to do was to do something within a historic building on a scale that we haven’t worked at before, which was incredibly exciting.