The last of London's three main power stations, Lots Road Power Station, has launched its redesign. Welcome to Powerhouse at Chelsea Waterfront, which, together with the Tate Modern and Battersea Power Station, completes the trio of important pieces of London energy infrastructure and industrial architecture that have now entered a new phase in their life.
Nestled by the water just off the River Thames, this historical coal and later oil-fired and gas-fired power station was originally built in 1905, but has remained disused for decades. Developer CK Asset Holdings Limited took on the site to transform it into a mixed-use scheme, which offers from private to affordable housing, commercial and retail units, and public space, while honouring the structure's industrial heritage. The sales launch of Powerhouse at Chelsea Waterfront was recently announced, bringing some 200 new homes onto the market.
Archive photograph of Lots Road Power Station in operation in London
A team of architects led by Sir Terry Farrell has been working to restore the original building's historic red brick walls (it was hailed as the first steel-framed building in the British Isles). Construction is well underway, with Fiona Barratt Interiors working with the architects on the spaces inside – these include luxurious residential areas but also dramatic publically accessible atria in the old turbine hall. Old meets new everywhere in this project, and while the building's appearance and main bones were maintained, inside much is contemporary, ensuring the building can offer the best for its new, domestic function. A distinctive element that makes this power station stand out among its peers is its huge, elegant arched windows – which also mean it is particularly well suited to a residential conversion.
Powerhouse will be serviced by amenities that form part of the Chelsea Waterfront wider scheme – including around-the-clock house management, a health and fitness centre, a spa, a fully equipped gym, a 20m swimming pool, and a club lounge for residents.
‘Powerhouse is an iconic London landmark and a cathedral of the industrial age that has been rejuvenated by a world-class team of architects and designers. Taking on a revolutionary new form, Powerhouse will offer a 21st-century living experience like no other in one of London’s most coveted boroughs,' said Hutchison Property Group's Dr Edmond Ho.
-
The Grand Egyptian Museum – a monumental tribute to one of humanity’s most captivating civilisations – is now completeDesigned by Heneghan Peng Architects, the museum stands as an architectural link between past and present on the timeless sands of Giza
-
Meet Forefront, a cultural platform redefining the relationship between art and architectureForefront co-founder Dicle Guntas, managing director of developer HGG, tells us about the exciting new initiative and its debut exhibition, a show of lumino-kinetic sculptures in London
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Meet Forefront, a cultural platform redefining the relationship between art and architecture
Forefront co-founder Dicle Guntas, managing director of developer HGG, tells us about the exciting new initiative and its debut exhibition, a show of lumino-kinetic sculptures in London
-
Corten curves and contemporary flair transform this terraced house in LondonCagni Williams Associates’ sensitive refurbishment of a south London Edwardian house features a striking and sustainable Corten steel extension
-
You may know it as ‘Dirty House’ – now, The Rogue Room brings 21st-century wellness to ShoreditchThe Rogue Room – set in the building formerly known as Dirty House by Sir David Adjaye, now reinvented by Studioshaw – bridges wellness and culture in London's Shoreditch
-
The architectural innovation hidden in plain sight at Frieze London 2025The 2025 Frieze entrance pavilions launch this week alongside the art fair, showcasing a brand-new, modular building system set to shake up the architecture of large-scale events
-
RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner is ‘a radical reimagining of later living’Appleby Blue Almshouse wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, crowning the social housing complex for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the best building of the year
-
‘Belonging’ – the LFA 2026 theme is revealed, exploring how places can become personalThe idea of belonging and what it means in today’s world will be central at the London Festival of Architecture’s explorations, as the event’s 2026 theme has been announced today
-
Join us on a first look inside Regent’s View, the revamped canalside gasholder project in LondonRegent's View, the RSHP-designed development for St William, situated on a former gasholder site on a canal in east London, has just completed its first phase
-
The Royal College of Art has announced plans for renewal of its Kensington campusThe Royal College of Art project, led by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, includes the revitalisation of the Darwin Building and more, in the hopes of establishing an open and future-facing place of creativity
