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.