Battersea Power Station Square

BIG‘s competition-winning design for a new public square at London’s Battersea Power Station has been revealed. The Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Mayor of London have unveiled the design by Bjarke Ingels Group for Malaysia Square at the mixed-use Battersea Power Station development in London.

Malaysia Square will form the heart of the £8 billion redevelopment of the iconic former power station site in south London. Also, it will feature a flower-shaped fountain and an array of bridges. Battersea Power Station, owned by a Malaysian consortium of S P Setia, Sime Darby Properties and the Employees Provident Fund, is in the midst of a multi-phase development following a master plan by Rafael Viñoly Architects and with major contributions by Norman Foster and Frank Gehry. BIG‘s competition-winning contribution, the aptly named Malaysia Square fronting the historic power station, was per a statement from the developers, “first conceived by its owners who were seeking an avenue to showcase the uniqueness of Malaysia’s fascinating culture, rich diversity and heritage“.

Courtesy of Battersea Power Station Development Company

Inspired by Malaysia’s landscape and geology, the development company describes the form of the square as a reminiscent of the caves found in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, East Malaysia. The square will be finished in limestone, granite, marble, sandstone, gravel and dolomite (all stone types that are found within Malaysia’s geology), as well as some of the reclaimed materials from the Power Station’s chimneys, which are currently being reconstructed. At the center of the space will be a fountain designed in the shape of a hibiscus, Malaysia’s national flower.

Bjarke Ingels described the design in a statement: “situated at the very foot of the towering Battersea icon, the new Malaysia Square derives its shape from human flows, creating a cascading landscape carved into the street – or simply put form follows flow. As an urban canvas of possibilities for cultural expression, where landscape, architecture, urbanism and media design are in complete harmony – the new Malaysia Square lends dignity to the majestic industrial heritage while paving the way for a new Malaysia identity“. The design of the square, developed by BIG along with structural engineers AKT II, lighting specialists Speirs + Major and the artist Jeppe Hein, “celebrates the historic ties between Malaysia and the UK“, according to the developers, “and will provide a space to showcase the uniqueness of Malaysia’s fascinating culture, rich diversity and heritage within London”.

“The innovative and thoughtful concepts underlying the creation of Malaysia Square honours the heritage and shared history of two nations to form a vibrant and exciting public space for residents and visitors to meet, mingle and shape the future together”, said Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, the Chairman of the Battersea Project Holding Company.

Malaysia Square will be Ingels’ first project in the UK. Other architects working on the project include British firms, like Ian Simpson Architects and dRMM, who are creating a new housing in the first of seven development phases.

Project Information :

Architect : Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Location : London, UK
Total Area : 3,500 square meters
Project Manager : Jacob Sand
Project Leaders : Song He , Gabrielle Nadeau
Project Team : Lucian Tofan, Julieta Muzzillo, Pawel Bussold, Joanna Jakubowska, Elina Skujina, Lucas Frank Ziegler, Timothy Burwell, Christian Lopez, Aino Elina Aho, Lakatos Edmond, Maximiliano Rieutor