Battersea Power Station Case Study
In 2015, Classic Folios/Spaciable started working with Battersea Power Station on the internationally acclaimed development’s first residential phase – Circus West.
In the years since, we have delivered handover and customer care solutions to over 1,500 plots at the development, which transcends a residential project to encapsulate entertainment, retail, leisure and much more.
Summarising the experience of our Classic Folios and Spaciable’s partnership with the Battersea Power Station Development Company, Head of Customer Care Rahul Salaria said:
“It has been a pleasure working with Classic Folios on all our phases to date. Our residents find Spaciable easy to navigate around and the ability to add one’s own documents is a bonus. From a developer point of view, any amendments required can be made quickly and efficiently across the apartments without having to rewrite pages. We look forward to collaborating further with Classic Folios on out new Phase, Koa at Electric Boulevard, which completes at the end of 2023.”
Steeped in History
Battersea Power Station in London is a Grade II* listed building that comprised two coal-fired power stations that were decommissioned in 1975 and 1983, respectively. It remained empty for decades, during which time it became a vacant landmark –immediately recognisable on the north bank of the River Thames, having been immortalised in pop culture courtesy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Sabotage and Pink Floyd’s Animals.
Unmistakable thanks to its distinctive brick cathedral style architecture and four 103 metre chimneys, Battersea Power Station became a reminder of a bygone era and almost fell into ruin despite various proposals for redevelopment.
A Vision for a New Chapter
In 2012, the site was acquired for redevelopment by a consortium comprising Malaysian developers SP Setia and Sime Darby who outlined extensive regeneration plans to help restore the site to its former glory.
Circus West
Fast forward to 2016 and Battersea Power Station Development Company signed the first order with Classic Folios. Plot-specific Completion Manuals in debossed folios carrying Battersea Power Station’s logo were delivered for the 865 plots in Phase 1 – Circus West, as well as branded document boxes to present to the homebuyers.
Each manual was replete with information about the development, its extensive facilities, the aftercare processes, maintenance advice and details of the fixtures and fittings, saving Battersea Power Station Development Company valuable time and effort in responding to queries from hundreds of homebuyers, while reflecting the ground-breaking nature of the development in their customer care.
The Power Station
This time saved was especially important considering that work was already underway on the second phase of the development – the Power Station itself. In 2019, a new order was placed for 254 plots to receive Completion Manuals and access to our award-winning Spaciable portal.
The Completion Manuals were written to reflect the branding and design of the new Phase, mirroring our commitment to ensuring the styling and information of the documents are relevant to each specific homebuyer. As such, maintenance advice was rewritten to cover the new fixtures, fittings and materials used, drawing on the heritage of the Power Station, while also acknowledging the new facilities and commercial ventures that had become a part of the development, including Apple, whose UK headquarters are based in the Power Station.
From the Industrial Age to the Digital Age
Through Spaciable, sales and customer care admins were able to effortlessly communicate with homebuyers from reservation through to completion and beyond, on a grand scale. This was of high importance to Battersea Power Station Development Company, who by now had over 1,000 completed plots on site.
The ability to bulk upload documents to residents’ interactive Library and send site updates via Notifications held particular appeal, while the digital format enabled overseas investors to easily access information about their property.
Notifications could be sent to entire developments, specific phases or individual plots, future-proofing processes for upcoming phases.
Homebuyers, meanwhile, had 24/7 access to all the information they could need about their property and the wider development, allowing them to make the most of their home and surroundings through FAQs, a contact directory, specifications, an interactive calendar and much more.
Battersea Roof Gardens and Prospect Place
Having promptly delivered plot-specific reservation, handover and aftercare materials for over 1,000 plots, as well as training for their staff, Battersea Power Station Development Company was delighted with the impact our solutions had on the efficiency of its processes and the homebuyer experience, as they accrued multiple accolades at various housing award shows.
Speaking on the effectiveness of incorporating Spaciable into their processes, Rahul noted:
“Since we first started working with Spaciable, we have felt thoroughly supported by them, especially with regards to training for the platform, which has sometimes been requested at short notice and has always been accommodated. We would definitely recommend Spaciable – both our admins and homeowners have commented on how useful and easy it is to use, with the notifications and document uploading tools proving particularly helpful.”
An order of 540 plots for the third phase followed – Roof Gardens and Prospect Place. As the name suggests, this phase featured stunning rooftop communal gardens with glorious views across the River Thames towards the City of London, and the addition of anew phase to Spaciable allowed sales and customer care admins to seamlessly channel communications through to the affected residents.
A Development of International Acclaim
In May 2023, Battersea Power Station won Development of the Year at the Resi Awards, where it was described by judges as an “iconic, stand-out scheme […] highly complex, economically challenging and risky, but the end result is a great example of placemaking in the real sense.”
It has been a privilege to work with Battersea Power Station Development Company on one of the world’s most prestigious residential developments, as they have not only built apartment buildings but created a destination, redeveloping an entire area into a thriving hub of commercial, residential and community activity.
