Client: Battersea Power Station Development Company Ltd
Architect: Foster+Partners
Main contractor: MACE
Steelwork contractor: William Hare Group
Metal decking installer: Prodeck Fixing
Building Systems UK products:  ComFlor^®
Year: Phased project. Worked started in July 2013 and is due to complete 2025.

Standing derelict on the south bank of the River Thames, Battersea Power Station renowned for its four chimneys and art deco design is undergoing a massive phased transformation in a multi-billion redevelopment programme. The former coal-fired Power Station had lain empty since it was decommissioned in 1983, and once restored, the iconic Grade II listed development will open-up the building and the riverside to the public for the first time.

Implemented in seven phases, the development will retain its unique historical features as it is transformed into a modern mixed-use development that once finished will include residential homes, a new tube station, office and retail space, a library, a medical centre, a concert venue for 2,000 people, 100 new retail, food and beverage units. It will also be home to Apple’s new London headquarters.

The challenge

Very little about the rebuilding of a Power Station that has stood derelict for over 35 years can be described as ‘straightforward’. It hasn’t been all plain sailing from the decision to rebuild the infamous Power Station chimneys ahead of the rest of the building works, provision of an on-site hospital for site workers; to dealing with the aquifer running beneath the Power Station which meant a new piling structure had to be installed.

When it came to the choice of flooring system, the design requested a composite floor decking solution that would provide strength, and achieve the load and spans required to fulfil the design brief. ComFlor^® is a well proven flooring system that is lightweight, easy to cut on-site compared to alternative precast flooring solutions, and quick and consistent to install.

The solution

Building Systems UK (A Tata Steel Enterprise) has a long-established working relationship with steelwork contractor, William Hare, who contacted us around 24 months ago to help with ComFlor^® calculations and technical advice for the floor decking solution on the Battersea development.

Working closely with William Hare, and their sister company Richard Lees Decking, who were responsible for the design of the complete flooring systems for the Battersea complex, we provided detailed ComFlor^® calculations and technical advice. The support we provided was fundamental in us winning the contract to supply the flooring system to construct all the internal floors, including both switch houses to the side of the main building.

A ComFlor^® composite floor system throughout was chosen for a number of reasons including its ability to provide a solution that is strong and robust and one that was capable of achieving the load and long span requirements. It has a low floor self-weight, obtains good load optimisation and offers fast build times.

Prodeck Fixing installed over 135,000m2 of our ComFlor^® floor decks on this project which will support the flooring system for the whole project using a mix of ComFlor^® profiles including ,  and .