8 - AIA International LONDON 2022 - Extension Day: 9 Elms to Battersea

Even as it is being developed, the Battersea Power Station district – given the relentless publicity churned out by its owners – already has a wide international reputation. The Power Station itself is BIG - arguably the biggest brick building in Europe – and its image on the London skyline is iconic. Unfortunately, it was not opened to the public until 11 days after the London Conference Extension Day on Monday, 3 Oct 2022.

The 9 Elms Corridor is one of the most controversial new development districts in London, and – like the Battersea district – it is only partially completed, except for the US Embassy, several residential units - including the Sky Pool - and some of the surrounding landscaping.

However – despite the incomplete transformations – it was still worth investigating the pleasant river walk along the Thames Path between 9 Elms and the Power Station.

Walking Tour – ‘Vauxhall to Battersea Power Station’, Lorraine King, LEADINGPOINT LTD

***Photo credit: L Jorgensen (AIA Alaska)***

Local resident, LORRAINE KING, guided an Extension Day walk that included a viewing of the new US Embassy, several significant high rises by American architects and segments of a new linear park. Along the way, there was a chance to critique multiple ‘little known buildings by well-known architects’. See walk handout HERE for more details.

The approach via Grimshaw Architects’ new underground station revealed not only the Power Station in the background, but also the Skyline and Flower buildings – respectively designed by Foster + Partners and Gehry Partners. The two architectural firms worked together to design the residential units and create the Electric Boulevard – part of the vast retail/residential complex.

***Photo credit: M Montgomery (AIA I)***

The Extension Day was advertised as a RELAXED walk, and everyone enjoyed a lovely autumn stroll and riverside lunch. Lanre Olusola (AIA I, Director at Large), summed up not only the Extension Day but the whole 2022 Conference in his emailed thank you, ‘the extra day event was an out-of-body experience … The entire Conference was well baked, and the extra day was icing on the cake’.

Contributors to the Slideshow include (in no particular order): L Jorgensen (AIA Alaska), Y Kinksky (AIA CE), M Montgomery (AIA CE), L Petruso (AIA UK) and L King (AIA UK).