CASE STUDY | BATTERSEA POWER STATION A CHIMNEY-POTTED HISTORY OF BATTERSEA The power station was conceived in 1927 by the London Power Company, to meet the capitals demand for electricity. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect who designed Liverpools Anglican cathedral, Bankside Power Station (now the Tate Modern) and the iconic red telephone box. The power station was built in two halves; initially, the western half of the power station was built, along with the SW and NW chimneys. This started generating electricity in 1933. The second half came into service in 1944, at which time a third chimney was completed, giving the building the moniker the 3-pin plug. The power station survived the Blitz, possibly because the plumes of white vapour from the chimneys provided the Luftwaffe with a navigational landmark. The final chimney was added in 1955, when Scotts four-chimney design was finally realised. At its peak, the power stations total generating capacity was 509MW. The station ceased generating electricity in 1983. than 25 AHUs. Ventilation intake louvres are located in the wall on the western side of the plant floor, while the exhaust louvres are concealed in rooftop gardens above the turbine hall, to the east of the plantroom. Ductwork and piped services are distributed via risers concealed in the rectangular wash towers that form the base of each of the four chimneys and in four new access cores constructed in the centre of the building to accommodate lifts and stairs. James says it was a challenge coordinating the various plant and pipework with the Battersea ceased generating power in 1983 Turbine Hall As art deco interior with fluted pilasters and creamy tiles new supporting structure that now fills the space. Coordination was helped by the project being designed in BIM. At its peak, ChapmanBDSP had a team of 25 BIM operators working on the scheme. A major challenge with this project is that there is no repetition in terms of risers and floor plates; everything is a bespoke design to accommodate the listed structure, he explains. Down in the basement Heating and cooling for the entire scheme is provided by a new energy centre located in the buildings basement. It was designed by Vital Energi and is currently being run by Equans. The energy centre includes two 2MWe gas combined heat and power (CHP) engines, one 3.3MWe gas CHP engine and three 10MW gas-fired boilers, plus seven 60m3 thermal stores and six 4MW chillers. Flues from the boilers and CHP engines use the power stations north-east and southwest chimneys. James says ChapmanBDSP worked with Vital Energi to provide it with estimated energy loads for Phase 2 of the project: We designed the networks that distribute the LTHW [low temperature hot water] and chilled water from it using efficient variable volume systems. Alongside the energy centre, the basement is home to the buildings 19 electrical substations. Rather than incorporate standby generators, ChapmanBDSP has saved floor space by bringing in two separate electrical supplies. The projects 14MW load is supplied by two 7MW supplies taken from the Stewarts Road substation. ChapmanBDSPs scheme also eliminates the need for heating and cooling plant to serve the two retail malls that now occupy the turbine halls, which flank the main Boiler House building. Styling it out The interiors of the two halls reflect their different ages: Turbine Hall A has an art deco interior with fluted pilasters and creamy tiles; Turbine Hall B was built after World War II and has a more utilitarian feel. Both turbine halls have the outlines of the generators that once filled the space with noise and movement picked into the floor finish. We were able to thermally model the two turbine halls to demonstrate to the client that the thermal comfort aligned with CIBSE guidance, which saves on plant cost and energy use, says James. Thermal mass, a small amount of solar 62 November 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov 22 pp60-62, 64 Battersea.indd 62 21/10/2022 19:11