{"id":2493,"date":"2024-01-10T07:40:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T07:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spsetia.com\/?post_type=news&p=2493"},"modified":"2025-07-22T11:09:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T03:09:16","slug":"battersea-power-station-receives-greenre-gold-certification","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/spsetia.com\/zh\/news\/battersea-power-station-receives-greenre-gold-certification\/","title":{"rendered":"Battersea Power Station receives GreenRE Gold certification"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having seen the iconic Battersea Power Station (BPS) in its derelict form back in 2012, when it was acquired by the Malaysian consortium of S P Setia Bhd, Sime Darby Property Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund, visiting the restored building in all its former glory was gratifying, to say the least.<\/p>\n

The Power Station, now transformed into a mixed-use destination, and Electric Boulevard were opened to the public in October 2022. The former houses 254 apartments, more than 100 retail shops, an event space and Lift 109, a chimney lift experience with 360\u00b0 views of London from a height of 109m. It also has 565,000 sq ft of office space, of which 500,000 sq ft is occupied by Apple. Electric Boulevard, a brand new pedestrianised high street, is part of Phase 3.<\/p>\n

Circus West Village, comprising a mix of bars, restaurants, shops, fitness and leisure facilties, a cinema and a theatre, was opened in 2017. It is now home to over 1,800 people.<\/p>\n

On Dec 13, BPS recorded another achievement when it received a GreenRE Gold certification for its retail portion. The certification was presented to Battersea Project Holding Co Ltd chairman Tan Sri Jagan Sabapathy by GreenRE chairman Datuk Seri Fateh Iskandar Mansor (F D Iskandar) in a ceremony.<\/p>\n

The certification is also a milestone for GreenRE, as it is its first certification for a completed international project. \u201cBPS is an iconic project by two of Malaysia\u2019s biggest property developers. The BPS team wanted a green certification that has a more universal standard. In the UK, when dealing with a Grade II-listed landmark building, a lot more care and consideration needs to be taken into account. Kudos to the GreenRE and BPS teams for working together to find a formula to achieve this,\u201d says F D Iskandar.<\/p>\n

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\nBattersea Power\u00a0Station has been transformed into a mixed-use destination (Photo by Battersea Power Station)<\/p>\n

Jagan notes that many good things were carried out at BPS in its pursuit of the green agenda.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cThe journey from inception to completion has been challenging but, in the end, immensely rewarding. Today, BPS is almost always associated with Malaysia. I take great pride in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took a derelict building and restored it. The whole philosophy is changing; you take old buildings and retrofit it, make it more efficient. The certification is a wonderful recognition for everyone associated with the journey. I would like to thank F D Iskandar, GreenRE and Rehda for the recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tangible benefits<\/h3>\n

According to Battersea Power Station Development\u00a0Company head of communities and sustainability Sarah Banham, the retail element had retained a lot of the original fabric of the building, which was not built to today\u2019s standards.<\/p>\n

Banham says: \u201cIt was a challenge for GreenRE\u00a0to certify a Grade II-listed industrial building, which has areas of significance. For example, the control room is a highly significant area, and so are the turbine halls. Anything we do, even putting in the shops, we have to get the consent of Historic England as well as the planning authorities. It is quite complex.\u201d Historic England is an executive non-departmental public body of the British government sponsored by the department for Culture, Media and Sport.<\/p>\n

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One of the main things done was to create natural ventilation for the mall. \u201cThe main circulation space through the two turbine halls is not heated or cooled. It is completely passive and natural, so it becomes sort of an indoor street. It\u2019s very important to get the air flow through and that obviously has become even more important since the Covid-19 pandemic,\u201d says Banham.<\/p>\n

Turbine Hall A has two huge windows that were bricked up during WWII, which was opened with the blessing of Historic England, to allow natural daylight to come into the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means that, during the day, particularly in the summer, we get massive savings on electricity and lighting,\u201d says Banham.<\/p>\n

BPS has achieved a 40% improvement in energy savings from the baseline and uses water management and monitoring technology, including monitored water consumption and the use of drought-<\/p>\n

tolerant plants. Methods to harmonise indoor comfort and the use of low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint were also introduced, while waste recycling is encouraged, with the provision of recycle bins. Innovative green practices were adopted, including the use of renewable energy during construction, creating work opportunities for the local community and promoting wildlife preservation.<\/p>\n

Banham says BPS is home to two Schedule 1 species \u2014 a pair of Peregrine Falcons and Black Redstarts. \u201cWe worked very hard on the biodiversity net gain of this site. The Peregrine Falcons have been living here since before the Malaysian consortium took over. They nest on the power station because it replicates the cliff faces of their natural habitat that allows them to dive and swoop for birds.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they are Schedule 1 species, we can\u2019t disturb their nests for about nine months out of a year, which was a problem for us during the construction phase. So, we built a temporary tower of the same height as their nest to encourage them to relocate. We placed mannequins on the roofs and the sound of the mannequins\u2019 jackets flapping in the wind eventually pushed the falcons to move to the temporary tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the station was finished, we put a new falcon nest box in the Northwest watch tower. We could see the female falcon coming over to investigate the space. Eventually, she started dropping dead pigeons that she caught in it. Soon, they moved to their new home and we tore the temporary tower down.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, the peregrines have fledged 22 juveniles. Meanwhile, the Black Redstarts have always been an annual breeder at BPS. Foraging areas have been allocated below the Peregrine Falcon nest and on the brown roofs at Circus West Village.<\/p>\n

Banham has been with BPS for 17 years and has a deep understanding of and connection with the local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local community is really emotionally tied to BPS, even though many had never set foot in the building until October last year. They felt strongly about what they wanted it to be and how it would be repurposed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the biggest challenge is the building itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe power station was full of oil, coal and asbestos, all of which had to go. Then there was managing the whole construction process, thinking about the design and sustainability, how to get that segregation of shopping, office and homes. BPS was known as the Everest of property development for one reason \u2014 every company before the Malaysian shareholders went bust trying to restore the building,\u201d says Banham.<\/p>\n

The GreenRe team has certainly achieved much. As F D Iskandar says, \u201cThe team has shown that they can adapt to different conditions, weather, cultures and regulations. We have never dealt with heritage buildings before, and being able to certify an iconic building in London is something we can be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battersea Power Station updates<\/h3>\n