Tiered Greenway

Developing the theme I was thinking about a tiered pedestrian/cycleway connecting the power station at ground level, to Battersea Park Rd at level 2 and a third level connecting Nine Elms to Victoria via a aerial walkway...

 Connecting land and communities

Tier 2 is at Battersea Park Road level - a new cycle/pedestrian path. Tier 3 will bridge the road and connect Nine Elms to Pimlico, bring both communities into the heartland of the power station.

Following on with the Green Capillaries

I was also having a play around with this idea of pedestrian bridges and cycle ways raised above the railway line...it might be good if we have some sort of direct connection to the Battersea Power Station area from the Green Capillaries...

This is just a very basic Photoshop mock up, I find it helps me work out what is possible....(i'll need to mock up the "before" again as I forgot to save it)

I also know there is a tunnel that connects Battersea Park and Power Station running under the railways bridges, this would obviously be re-opened to play a key role in the riverside network.

Green Capillaries

I've been thinking about greenways above railway lines..

First as an overview, the idea of having a low cycle network and a high cycle network:

The High Capillary (HC) follows the rail in an L-shape from Victoria to Vauxhall. The Low Capillary (LC) follows the river.

Then connecting the two networks together either by plays in level, ramps or buildings:

Additional LC links have been added/indicated. Transitions from HC to LC are marked as dots. Buildings undergoing development adjacent to the HC line incorporate access to the HC in their design. On the Victoria side the coach house becomes a (secret) flat roof garden accessible only via the HC. Victoria station incorporates a Green Roof Park and what I imagine would be a commercial floor which gives access to the station below.

Looking at the idea of a building as a portal to the high capillary network:

The site is where the gas drums currently stand and is marked out for development by Wandsworth council. The building could be office space or residential flats. The development could fill the space or provide a sheltered Garden at the back of the building. The idea is that people working/living here have direct access to the HC.

The High Line for London

Summary from The High Line Symposium

Joshua David and Robert Hammond are the brains behind the Line, they first discovered the High Line railways in the early 00's. Up above the city they came across a "wild landscape" which had claimed a piece of the city of its own.

This is where the High Line sprang from, an Industrial artefact which had been conquered by nature in all its wild rugged beauty. It was an unknown entity which was under threat from developers but David and Hammond saw the potential and fought demolition orders, politicians, developers, local communities trying to convince them all the real value in greening the city in this way. By working out the economic value of the site they soon turned the tide of popular opinion and the High Line project was established.

This is a project which inspires and shows how two people can have a vision and with determination and hard work, that vision can be realised.

The key to the success of the High Line, beyond the tourists who visit, was their dedicated approach to the local community. They aim to prove that this is a place for all fractions of New York society. With the tag line "High Line: Your Back Yard Park", they strive to welcome those that perhaps did not realise that this is a place for them to visit and enjoy.

This should be our approach to Battersea and beyond, it should not feel exclusive but inclusive, a place for everyone to enjoy the river and the landscape...

Top 20 competition entries for the "London High Line"

Eye-sore it

Not sure if this is the right sort of thing but they only take a second to do so I can easily change it?

University of Wageningen

Research about University of Wageningen / Netherlands

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Research-Results.htm

The University of Wageningen published loads of their independent research results. 

In my opinion the most important topics in terms of our Urban Development Project are:

Waste water use / recycling:

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/show/Making-waste-water-from-the-city-suitable-for-agricultural-use.htm

Biobased materials – Algae

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/show/Algae-is-good-for-sustainable-paint-biofuel-and-a-reduction-in-CO2-emissions.htm

and all projects about “Monitoring Climate Change”.

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Research-Results/Themes/theme-climate-and-water/Monitoring-climate-change.htm

【HOPE】Some transport analysis and proposal

EyeSoreIt

Some more criticism about the suboptimal cycling situation ...

【HOPE】Dig Eyesores

EYESORES

                                                                            ~_~

1.     I think the rail of the bank is an eyesore, because it block people's sight when sitting there.

2.  (maybe it is not an eyesore, but it is a big problem for our site.) These bicycles parking stations are uncovered, and will get wet in the rain. What's even worse, no bicycle hire service available in the south bank in our site.

Eyesore-it

Pink Floyd and Battersea Power Station

The Animals by Pink Floyd album is one of the main reasons for the worldwide fame of Battersea Power Station.

Photographs for the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals album were taken in early December 1976. For the photo shoot, an inflatable pink pig, made by the Zeppelin company, was tethered to one of the southern chimneys. However the pig broke free of its moorings and rose into the flight path of London Heathrow Airport to the astonishment of pilots in approaching planes. The runaway pig was tracked by police helicopters before coming to ground in Kent. Whether the pig escaped, or was released on purpose to increase publicity, is not known. Animals was officially launched at an event at Battersea Power Station in January 1977.

What ever we do as part of our masterplan, the solution has to maintain the icon status of the power station.
There is a mystique that perhaps has been amplified by the lack of access over the past 25 years... How can this be reflected in the design solution?

The Approved Masterplan for Battersea

Phase 1 development

Following an architectural competition in late 2010 the Phase One design team were appointed. In January 2011. This team was re-appointed in August 2012 following the change in ownership of the site:

• Building RS1A – Ian Simpson Architects.
• Building RS1B – de Rijke Marsh Morgan Architects
• Landscape – Exterior Architecture and LDA Design.
• Rafael Viñoly will remain as Masterplan Architect for the site and will continue to oversee the detailed delivery of the project.
• Construction on Phase One is scheduled to commence in 2013 with completion expected in 2016.
• Renovation work on the Grade II* listed Power Station is due to commence in 2013.

Riverside wall

Building RS-1A - Ian Simpson Architects

These are residential buildings. The elevations have been carefully designed to complement the simple, elegant planar proportions of the power station. The palette of materials and emphasis on horizontal expression provide a contrast to the solidity and verticality of the power station’s masonry exterior.

RS-1A - view south across river

Landscape RS-1A - LDA

Phase One will deliver the first section of the new Power Station Park. The
park will form an exciting new public waterfront green-space and will create a new setting for the Power Station. The central section of the park will be a large lawn where events can take place. It will also be a place ideal for sunbathing, picnicking and enjoyingviews of the Power Station, the river and London’s wider panorama. 

Nine Elms Transformation

 
The Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership was created in 2010 to coordinate and drive forward the transformation of an entire district of Central London. Co-chaired by the leaders of Wandsworth and Lambeth Council, it includes the area’s main developers and landowners, the Mayor of London, Transport for London and the Greater London Authority.

The transformation area

The regeneration area spans 195 hectares of central London on the South Bank of the River Thames – walking distance from the Houses of Parliament, Sloane Square, Tate Britain, Battersea Park and Oval Cricket Ground.
The distinct extends from Lambeth Bridge in the north, to Chelsea Bridge in the south, covering the Albert Embankment, Vauxhall and a large slice of north Battersea. Westminster lies directly opposite on the north bank of the Thames. It is by far the largest regeneration zone in central London and includes the last remaining industrial stretch of the South Bank.

 

A journey through the Battersea Power Station designs that never were...

Work on Battersea Power Station’s redevelopment will allegedly start soon, after a two decade delay that would put the world’s most dedicated procrastinators to shame.

I found this great article on Time Out that plots the different design proposal that have been tabled since 1993, when Battersea closed

Back in 1983, the owners held a competition, seeking ideas for how the site could be used in the future.  The winning concept, pictured below, was a rather off-the-wall to idea to turn it into a museum of industry and London history.
 
 
.The proposal included a ship moored alongside and blimp floating above.

A cross-section of the proposal shows zones dedicated to Pepys’ London, the Great Fire, coal mining, the Blitz, a Dan Dare space ride and a mini-submarine ride.