Designer's Note
“Battersea Power Station was London’s most important powerhouse in the early 20th century. Built in two phases, the first one (Hall A) being done in art deco style, with a strong heritage still present in the existing structure. The building features brickwork in various forms of treatment, enameled tiles, stonework, functional metallic structures, technical paneling, wooden floors and carefully executed glassware in the form of lamps could be found in the production hall and control rooms.
Drawing inspiration from the building’s industrial history and art deco detailing, we designed a counter that goes around an existing heritage yellow brickwork column that is in the center of the space. The column needed to remain untouched following its protected condition as a historical remnant of the building.
The store is organized with a modular sequence of wall paneling, inspired by the former technical cladding of BPS’s control room, but reinterpreted with a change in material. Crafted from felt, to introduce a surface that will both capture light and diffuse light as well as help as an acoustic correction, contributing to a soft and welcoming atmosphere. The floor is continuous all over the seating areas and done with a stack-bond wood floor pattern, hinting at the site’s industrial past. A suspended % neon sign centered in front of the brickwork column highlights the location’s historic past. For the design, we aimed for simplicity, maximum transparency and centrality.”
– ciguë architecture
