The cachet of Apple, one of the world's leading technology superpowers, is hard to ignore. Their stores are constantly bustling with eager and early adopters of their innovative products, which have come to define the current age of obsessive digital interconnectivity. These busy showcases of modernity are usually found in the trendiest neighbourhoods of top-tier cities. In a move to propel the brand even further, Apple has announced their intention to establish a new London headquarters inside the iconic Battersea Power Station.

Rendering of the finished project, image via Battersea Power Station

The decommissioned coal-fired power station, which ceased operations in 1983, has long been a symbol of the vigorous industrial era. Ever since its closure, the monumental piece of Art Deco architecture has cried out for a new purpose. With WilkinsonEyre refurbishing the 1930s-built structure, retaining its turbine halls and legally protected chimneys, Battersea Power Station is being prepped for a major reimagining. An £8 billion investment will create a thriving new neighbourhood backed by a Malaysian consortium of developers and heavyweight architects including Frank Gehry, Norman Foster, and Bjarke Ingels

A dramatic rooftop pool adorns the hotel, image via Battersea Power Station

The 42-acre site is the centrepiece of the Nine Elms district's broader regeneration and will be served by a new London Underground station. A six-acre park fronting the historic building will welcome visitors to its north entrance, where a diverse selection of retail and a second floor events venue can be accessed. The ambitious scheme will fill the structure with 254 homes, including elegant rooftop sky villas, and approximately 500,000 square feet of Apple-secured office space across six floors. Apple's acquisition of the space represents 40% of the total office component in the whole development. About 1,400 Apple employees around London will relocate to their new digs in 2021.

Electric Boulevard will be bookended by Foster and Gehry creations, image via Battersea Power Station

The announcement emphasizes the sheer scale and excitement characterizing the development. With a high-profile brand speaking to the gravity and importance of the project, restoration work is occurring to transform the space into the contemporary mixed-use node represented by the glossy renderings. The building's four white chimneys are being completely dismantled and rebuilt — a proposal to install a glass viewing platform on the northwest chimney 100 metres above the ground cleverly alters the stack's traditional purpose.

Amenity spaces overlook the historic landmark, image via Battersea Power Station

An elongated mid-rise structure is proposed to stand on the neighbouring west lot and pump 865 new residences into the area. To the south, a 167-room hotel with a rooftop bar and pool will provide unspoiled views of the heritage landmark and Electric Boulevard, a pedestrianized high street flanked by a collection of Foster-designed buildings, Gehry's 690-unit Prospect Place, and the titanium-clad 'Flower'. The corridor of 45 shops and 12 cafes and restaurants leads to Malaysia Square, a two-level 'urban canyon' public space envisioned by Bjarke Ingels Group. The landscaping program promises to match the magnificence of the world-class architecture with the Battersea Roof Gardens, a sprawling aerial park designed by Field Operations, the team behind New York City's remarkably popular High Line.

The Flower by Gehry Partners, image via Battersea Power Station

The power station's reincarnation as a vibrant hub of homes, offices, and retail should be complete by 2020, with surrounding phases of the plan to be realized in the succeeding years. It's a development certainly worthy of the site's history and monumentality, one that pays homage to the past while clearly defining a path for the future. The rich dichotomy between an enduring symbol of waterfront industry and the diversity of uses that modern cities of great stature demand underscores the progressiveness of London's architectural ambitions.

Gehry-designed buildings flank Electric Avenue, image via Battersea Power Station

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