7 ms·

Apple to create new London HQ at Battersea Power Station

76 points by randomname2 10y ago

sambeau 10y ago
Yes, that is the one from the Pink Floyd album "Animals". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_(Pink_Floyd_album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_(Pink_Floyd_album)
- WatchDog 10y ago
  Also the inspiration for the power plants in red alert. http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/cnc/images/6/6c/Bombing_Power_Stations.png/revision/latest?cb=20100413134952 http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/cnc/images/6/6c/Bombing_...
- twostoned 10y ago
  So are Apple Pigs or Dogs then? Surely we're the sheep.
- anexprogrammer 10y ago
  ...and the first power plant in the world to fit sulfur scrubbing. In 1931 (as it was being built)!
- RockyMcNuts 10y ago
  In a few movies, often as dystopic backdrop https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2016/jun/22/monty-python-children-of-men-battersea-power-station-films https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2016/jun/22/monty...
  - mhurron 10y ago
    Apple could make their employee onboarding look like their 1984 commercial.
  - ibmthrowaway218 10y ago
    It also hosted a Eastern European military camp in the MacGyver movie _The Lost Treasure Of Atlantis_ Lots more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station_in_popular_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station_in_pop...
- jhpankow 10y ago
  I've got my soundtrack for the morning. (haha charade you are)
- jzl 10y ago
  One of my favorite albums of all time. I would be really weirded out if that was the building I went to work in every day. It's a pretty dark and melancholy album. I only like listening to it or thinking about it when embracing that mood. :)
ricksplat 10y ago
This is brilliant news! It's one of those iconic London buildings. You'll see it on approach to London to Victoria station, it's clearly visible from the London eye, and as the other commenter noted it's on the cover of that pink floyd album. It's use and renovation has been mooted for years but presumably it's always been held up because it's both a listed building and will be very expensive to renovate due to old hazardous materials and the like. It would take a company with Apple's cash to do this and I'm delighted to see it finally happening.
- _9MOTHER9HORSE 10y ago
  The wider redevelopment has nothing to do with Apple. The scheme got planning permission in 2011, and construction work has been ongoing since 2012. It's a mixed-use development, with office space only part of the puzzle, and according to this article, Apple are only taking a lease on 40% of the office space. I suspect Apple have negotiated hugely preferential rates on said space (as well as structuring the deal so as to pay the bare minimum in taxes, etc.), and the developers have agreed solely because having Apple move in is incredible PR.
  - arethuza 10y ago
    Office developments often have "key tenants" that are big names that take an early lease on office space in a development and get a very good deal - having a big name then attracts other companies. A bit anchor tenants for malls.
  - cylinder 10y ago
    Actually, enormous deep-pocketed companies with good credit, like Apple, are treated very favorably by landlords. The credit behind the tenant on a leased property determines the yield. So, a building tenanted by Apple on a 20-year lease can sell for a 2% cap rate while the same building tenanted by Joe's Plumbers Inc on a 10-year lease will sell for 6%+. Apple knows that so they can negotiate cheaper price per SQM.
- adwhit 10y ago
  The renovation has been underway for years now. Apple are simply taking out a lease on some of the new office space. I love the building but the surrounding area is ground zero for grotesque property speculation in London. Recently it looked like the developers had overplayed their hand and wouldn't be able to shift all the £1M+ flats - but now with a bunch of Apple devs looking to rent them out, who knows?
michaelt 10y ago
There was an interesting bit in Private Eye about the redevelopment a few months ago. Apparently a common pattern for listed buildings on valuable land is for the owners to hire developers who get planning permission to take down the listed parts, restore them, then put them up again. Then after taking down the listed parts the developer "unexpectedly" goes bankrupt, leaving the owners with valuable land no longer encumbered by a listed building. But in the case of Battersea Power Station, when developers applied to take down all four towers at the same time, planners only granted permission for them do to one tower at a time, preventing such an "accident" from happening. Private Eye considered this a rare and impressive show of wisdom on planners' part.
- secfirstmd 10y ago
  London has many many planning problems but the architecture around the River Thames I always find to be pretty awesome...so many amazing buildings to look at when on a run...Glad to see they were careful with the permission this time.
- roflchoppa 10y ago
  That's pretty smart, i guess someone got tired of getting played all the time.
walrus01 10y ago
Will it have an inflatable pig balloon over it?
philwelch 10y ago
The Battersea Power Station was also once considered for redevelopment into a football stadium, while maintaining the towers and facade: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/artists-impressions-show-how-battersea-906467 http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/artists-impressi...
thorin 10y ago
When this was reported on the bbc radio today Apple was described as iPad and iPhone manufacture Apple. So desktops and laptops old hat now!
yakster 10y ago
"Perfection of planning is a symptom of decay. During a period of exciting discovery or progress, there is no time to plan the perfect headquarters." C.N. Parkinson

76 points by randomname2 10y ago

Yes, that is the one from the Pink Floyd album "Animals". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_(Pink_Floyd_album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_(Pink_Floyd_album)

WatchDog 10y ago
Also the inspiration for the power plants in red alert. http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/cnc/images/6/6c/Bombing_Power_Stations.png/revision/latest?cb=20100413134952 http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/cnc/images/6/6c/Bombing_...
twostoned 10y ago
So are Apple Pigs or Dogs then? Surely we're the sheep.
anexprogrammer 10y ago
...and the first power plant in the world to fit sulfur scrubbing. In 1931 (as it was being built)!
RockyMcNuts 10y ago
In a few movies, often as dystopic backdrop https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2016/jun/22/monty-python-children-of-men-battersea-power-station-films https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2016/jun/22/monty...
- mhurron 10y ago
  Apple could make their employee onboarding look like their 1984 commercial.
- ibmthrowaway218 10y ago
  It also hosted a Eastern European military camp in the MacGyver movie _The Lost Treasure Of Atlantis_ Lots more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station_in_popular_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station_in_pop...
jhpankow 10y ago
I've got my soundtrack for the morning. (haha charade you are)
jzl 10y ago
One of my favorite albums of all time. I would be really weirded out if that was the building I went to work in every day. It's a pretty dark and melancholy album. I only like listening to it or thinking about it when embracing that mood. :)

ricksplat 10y ago

This is brilliant news! It's one of those iconic London buildings. You'll see it on approach to London to Victoria station, it's clearly visible from the London eye, and as the other commenter noted it's on the cover of that pink floyd album. It's use and renovation has been mooted for years but presumably it's always been held up because it's both a listed building and will be very expensive to renovate due to old hazardous materials and the like. It would take a company with Apple's cash to do this and I'm delighted to see it finally happening.

_9MOTHER9HORSE 10y ago
The wider redevelopment has nothing to do with Apple. The scheme got planning permission in 2011, and construction work has been ongoing since 2012. It's a mixed-use development, with office space only part of the puzzle, and according to this article, Apple are only taking a lease on 40% of the office space. I suspect Apple have negotiated hugely preferential rates on said space (as well as structuring the deal so as to pay the bare minimum in taxes, etc.), and the developers have agreed solely because having Apple move in is incredible PR.
- arethuza 10y ago
  Office developments often have "key tenants" that are big names that take an early lease on office space in a development and get a very good deal - having a big name then attracts other companies. A bit anchor tenants for malls.
- cylinder 10y ago
  Actually, enormous deep-pocketed companies with good credit, like Apple, are treated very favorably by landlords. The credit behind the tenant on a leased property determines the yield. So, a building tenanted by Apple on a 20-year lease can sell for a 2% cap rate while the same building tenanted by Joe's Plumbers Inc on a 10-year lease will sell for 6%+. Apple knows that so they can negotiate cheaper price per SQM.
adwhit 10y ago
The renovation has been underway for years now. Apple are simply taking out a lease on some of the new office space. I love the building but the surrounding area is ground zero for grotesque property speculation in London. Recently it looked like the developers had overplayed their hand and wouldn't be able to shift all the £1M+ flats - but now with a bunch of Apple devs looking to rent them out, who knows?

michaelt 10y ago

There was an interesting bit in Private Eye about the redevelopment a few months ago. Apparently a common pattern for listed buildings on valuable land is for the owners to hire developers who get planning permission to take down the listed parts, restore them, then put them up again. Then after taking down the listed parts the developer "unexpectedly" goes bankrupt, leaving the owners with valuable land no longer encumbered by a listed building. But in the case of Battersea Power Station, when developers applied to take down all four towers at the same time, planners only granted permission for them do to one tower at a time, preventing such an "accident" from happening. Private Eye considered this a rare and impressive show of wisdom on planners' part.

secfirstmd 10y ago
London has many many planning problems but the architecture around the River Thames I always find to be pretty awesome...so many amazing buildings to look at when on a run...Glad to see they were careful with the permission this time.
roflchoppa 10y ago
That's pretty smart, i guess someone got tired of getting played all the time.

walrus01 10y ago

Will it have an inflatable pig balloon over it?

philwelch 10y ago

The Battersea Power Station was also once considered for redevelopment into a football stadium, while maintaining the towers and facade: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/artists-impressions-show-how-battersea-906467 http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/artists-impressi...

thorin 10y ago

When this was reported on the bbc radio today Apple was described as iPad and iPhone manufacture Apple. So desktops and laptops old hat now!

yakster 10y ago

"Perfection of planning is a symptom of decay. During a period of exciting discovery or progress, there is no time to plan the perfect headquarters." C.N. Parkinson