Battersea Design and Tech Quarter Framework

We Made That has created an urban framework for the London Borough of Wandsworth that outlines a new Design & Tech Quarter for Battersea, building upon the existing design community in the area. Considering the scale of change taking place at Nine Elms, the proposed framework presents an opportunity to deliver a distinct creative and economic cluster, which is focused on the interaction between technology and design. It will deliver a total of 230,000 sqm of employment floorspace and an estimated 10,800 jobs.

The new plans capitalise on existing and incoming institutional assets in the area – including the new Apple HQ and the Royal College of Art – with a framework for physical development and placemaking, along with an economic and commercial strategy that sets out a bold vision for this central London industrial area.

The masterplan is underpinned by 4 interconnected drivers:

Industry: Delivering creative employment space alongside intensification of industrial uses to establish the Quarter as a place for designing, prototyping, producing and scaling.

Connectivity: Knitting together the new employment areas through a series of improvements to transport and movement, achieving a careful balance between supporting commercial vehicle flows whilst providing better walking and cycling routes.

Public realm: Creating a network of attractive and accessible open spaces that provide valuable amenity for those working in and visiting the Quarter. Open spaces that support employment and industrial uses, including working streets and yards, are provided in parallel to ensure that proposed workspace uses can function successfully.

Hub spaces: Provision of key locations which act as focal points for collaboration and public engagement, serving as a public space for the Quarter and supporting employment uses by providing space for culture, socialising, networking and marketing.