RIBA batters architects £4 billion power station plan

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27 JUNE 2008

Rafael Viñoly unveiled his masterplan for the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station site amid a storm of protest last week.

Former RIBA president George Ferguson has branded Rafael Viñoly a “major menace to London”, after the architect unveiled his plans for the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station site.

Critics have whipped up a storm of protest over the £4 billion scheme which includes a 300m-high tower, eco-dome, and 750,000sq ft of residential, office and retail space.

Viñoly and developer REO claimed the development would be “the greenest in England”.

But high profile critics have damned the scheme, including former RIBA president George Ferguson.

“Viñoly’s proposal reveals an evident lack of understanding of the vital place Gilbert Scott’s masterpiece holds in the London psyche,” Ferguson said. “It is the height of arrogance to think that anyone could supplant this supremely muscular building with a vast gimmicky tower.”

And Andrew Hanson, chairman of RIBA London added: “It is not showing enough respect to Battersea Power Station.”

The plans were further attacked by BD magazine’s architecture critic Ellis Woodman who added fuel to the fire by saying: “I might muster the energy to get offended by the project if I thought that there was even the remotest chance of it being built.”

Speaking at the launch of the plans, Viñoly insisted the proposals were in keeping with Gilbert Scott’s original design.

“This near-transparent marker on the skyline defines a new opportunity area signalling London’s commitment to innovation and sustainability,” he said.

Article by Caroline

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