Frank Gehry’s Battersea Building Opens its Doors
Offering a rare opportunity to purchase a Gehry-designed home.
A long-awaited building designed by Frank Gehry has welcomed its first residents, marking the first residential project to be designed by the famed Canadian-American architect in the UK, as well as a major milestone in the wider redevelopment of London’s Battersea Power Station area.
Named Prospect Place, the building is a key component in the regeneration project of Battersea Power Station. It encompasses 308 new homes, including studios, multi-bedroom apartments, townhouses, and penthouses. No two homes are the same, but all are complete with an open-plan layout and have access to either a winter garden or terrace.
The American firm designed two colour palettes for the homes at Prospect Place, and named them London and LA respectively. London is distinguished by its metal finishings and industrial feel, inspired by the historical and modern elements that make up the city’s fabric, while LA takes on a more relaxed vibe, pairing pale wooden finishes with a light colour scheme.
“I love London. It has culture, history and diversity and the buildings we have created at Battersea Power Station are designed to stand artfully on their own amongst all of that, whilst also framing an internationally recognised icon,” said Gehry, who founded his eponymous studio in 1962.
“It is important we create social places for future generations and our goal from the start has been to create a neighbourhood that connects into the historic fabric of the city of London but also has its own identity and integrity,” he added.
Residents at Prospect Place, which is located to the south of the Power Station, will also have access to the adjacent building designed by Norman Foster’s firm, Foster + Partners, named Battersea Roof Gardens. Here, the residents will be able to use the huge, private Sky Lounge, a sunset bar, workspaces, a cinema room, lounge areas and a gym. Residents will also be able to enjoy rooftop gardens designed by LDA Design and James Corner, who designed the New York High Line.
Hufton + Crow
Hufton + Crow
Hufton + Crow
“When we first designed the masterplan, we envisioned a thriving community where people can live, work and play, and with every milestone achieved, we are ever closer to making that vision a reality,” said Simon Murphy, CEO at Battersea Power Station Development Company, which has overseen the £9 billion GBP project (approximately $11.25 billion USD).
Prospect Place may mark Gehry’s first residential project in the UK, but his prolific oeuvre is known the world over. Currently projects being designed by his firm include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and the La Maison LVMH in Paris. Projects under construction range from the Facebook Campus in Menlo Park, California to a new headquarters for Warner Brothers, also in California, but in Burbank.
Elsewhere in architecture news, an iconic Donald Judd Building has reopened in Marfa, following an extensive renovation by architecture practice Schaum/Shieh.
