Dezeen Magazine

50 Electric Boulevard

Foster + Partners unveils curving office building at Battersea Power Station

Architecture studio Foster + Partners has revealed 50 Electric Boulevard, an 18,580-square-metre workplace within London's Battersea Power Station development.

Located along Battersea Power Station's pedestrianised high street, Foster + Partners designed the building and its interiors to function as flexible and adaptbale office space.

"50 Electric Boulevard's soft undulating form creates a varying floorplate, which provides maximum flexibility for its tenants and creates a building that can evolve to meet the future requirements of the workplace," said head of studio Grant Brooker.

50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
Foster + Partners has completed a curving office building at Battersea Power Station

Each level includes a cantilevered outdoor terrace and openable windows for workers to access the outside.

"We wanted 50 Electric Boulevard to be flooded with light and, of course, to benefit from natural ventilation," Brooker explained. "We believe its floor-to-ceiling windows and cantilevered balconies create a permeable, flexible and healthy working environment."

Curving facade of London office
The building's glazed facade is broken up by exposed concrete floorplates

Occupants can also enjoy a communal rooftop garden overlooking the London skyline and River Thames.

Other facilities at 50 Electric Boulevard include a double-height pavilion with large skylights and trees called the Light Box. It can host up to 240 people and is intended to encourage employees away from their desks.

According to the studio, this is among the more "relaxed" spaces in the building.

"A glass-fronted entrance lobby on Electric Boulevard features touchdown workspaces and relaxed seating areas," Brooker said. "The communal pavilion above is lit by generous roof lights and includes a coffee bar and bleacher seating for larger events."

50 Electric Boulevard Light Box by Foster + Partners
The Light Box is a pavilion for presentations. Photo by Taran Wilkhu

Interior spaces are lined with warm-toned materials and pops of colour, including wooden batten ceilings, copper accents and red upholstery within communal spaces.

"The use of greenery and natural materials throughout the spaces are positive benefits to wellbeing for everyone who works there," Brooker explained.

"The design is closely related to our adjacent Battersea Roof Gardens building, and they both aim to create a strong contrast with the monumental and iconic Power Station."

Warm interiors of 50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
Warm-toned materials line the interior spaces. Photo by Taran Wilkhu

Battersea Roof Gardens is a residential building that Foster + Partners has also created alongside Battersea Power Station. It is topped by a roof garden landscaped by James Corner Field Operations with 23,000 plants and 55 trees.

Headquartered in London, Foster + Partners has also recently completed an administration building in South Carolina featuring a winged skybridge roof and revealed plans for a pair of residential skyscrapers in Dubai.

The photography is by Hufton + Crow unless stated otherwise. 

More images

50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
The photo is by Taran Wilkhu
50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
Photo by Taran Wilkhu
50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners. The photo is by Taran Wilkhu
50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
Photo by Taran Wilkhu
50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
Photo by Taran Wilkhu
50 Electric Boulevard by Foster + Partners
The photo is by Taran Wilkhu