Georgia Morero

Thesis in Architectural Design

Battersea Power Station: A Place for Everyone

Thesis by Giorgia Morero
Contact Email: morerogiorgia@gmail.com
Master's Degree: Architecture for Sustainable Design
Faculty of Architecture II - Polytechnic of Turin
Speaker: Andrea Cavaliere
Co-rapporteur: Luca Davico
Academic Year 2013 - 2014

Introduction
The project area is the area of relevance of the Battersea Power Station in the Battersea district of London. It is a building of great cultural importance and has a strategic position due to its proximity to the Thames, Chelsea and the railway lines that connect London with the rest of England. The thesis followed two starting points: the first was the consultation of the book “Battersea Power Station” by Peter Fry, which was fundamental in the sociological analysis during the inspections and was included in the thesis, the second was the study of the existing project by Rafael Vinoly, which was useful to better learn the English regulations and to develop an alternative project proposal.

The aim of the thesis was to create a project with concrete solutions that responded to the requests defined by the city of London. To achieve this goal, the main regulations that govern English urban planning were studied and a very different design approach from the Italian one was found, as planning takes place in detail already at a regional level. During the analysis and study phases of the Power Station, the role that the power plant had for the city was understood and by carrying out inspections in the area, the visual relationship between the plant and the surrounding built environment was perceived, in fact in the compositional phase of the master plan an attempt was made to maintain the present visual contact as much as possible. The research methods were divided into three phases:

of theoretical research, conducted at the British Library and via the web to learn about important historical moments, the urban development of the area through the consultation of historical maps and the analysis of statistical data that have allowed us to understand the role of London in relation to European cities and how the city's districts relate to each other.
of field analysis, carried out with inspections in the areas taken into consideration that were made with an analysis grid in order to compare the areas under the same aspects and to best carry out the expert observation; the inspections were made on different dates and times in order to have a complete vision of the users present. The decisive inspection was that of September 21, carried out on the occasion of the OpenHouse, in which the Power Station was visited inside and it was possible to better understand the differences present in the plant.
of technical analysis, in which a regulatory framework was compiled, in order to create a project compliant with local regulations. To carry out this last part, the currently approved project was consulted, which was useful for understanding the regulations and where to consult them on the web.

The master plan is based on: maintaining the visibility of the Power Station, improving transport, creating spaces for socialising and repurposing the Power Station. Maintaining the visibility of the power station allows the relationship with the surrounding environment to remain unchanged, which, once the project is completed, will be even more evident as the power station's chimneys will start smoking again as all the technical systems will flow into them. Improving transport is based on the inclusion of the underground station within the area, which will allow rapid travel in the city and with the presence of Vauxhall Station it will be possible to reach the most important English destinations. The creation of spaces for socialising makes it possible for the external spaces to interact, which are connected to each other via linear pedestrian paths that make travel quick; these spaces are highlighted by the presence of trees and spaces with benches that have been inserted in points facing the power station. Finally, the re-functionalization of the Power Station is the heart of the project, because the entire masterplan was formed with the aim of honoring this very important structure for London. The most important element is the internal square that allows you to admire the majesty of the building that interacts with it through pedestrian paths that give access to commercial activities.

The title of the thesis summarizes the concept on which the project is based: a place for everyone. The new area has been organized to accommodate any type of user and all needs, because there are numerous commercial activities to respond to all the needs of the inhabitants, who will be able to find the required services without having to move to neighboring areas.
(see the pdf)