The vision for Battersea Exchange turns a divided and historically landlocked site into a vibrant and well-connected community for people to live, learn and work in. Battersea Exchange creates 290 new homes, 21% of which are affordable, a new two-form entry primary school and around 3500 sqm of commercial space for shops, offices and cafes, as well as a new entrance to Queenstown Road Station. The phased development is organised around a pedestrian-friendly public realm. It connects Battersea Park and Queenstown Road Stations and creates links from existing residential communities into the new Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area. The size and complexity of this masterplan called for a range of scales, building types and materials to break down the site into more manageable zones. New homes, commercial spaces and the school make up eleven buildings across the site, including three ceramic-clad towers of varying heights, a range of smaller-scale brick-clad buildings and the refurbishment of the viaduct arches. The tower buildings and linked school have a light crackle-glazed ceramic facade, creating visual links to the nearby fluted chimneys of Battersea Power Station. They mark the rail frontage into Waterloo and the new public space fronting Battersea Park Station. The lower rise ‘warehouse’ type brick buildings relate to the railway heritage and stitch into the existing fabric, forming the new streets and spaces. St Mary's RC Primary School provides an inspiring teaching environment at the heart of the development, with a front door that opens onto the new public square. The school is arranged around a central courtyard and a series of terraced play spaces including a spectacular roof-top multi-use games area. Early Years and Key Stage 1 classrooms all have access to these external spaces and there is even a big slide to take children down to the central courtyard. With play an important aspect of children’s development, these spaces offer a fantastic foundation for learning. The street opposite the playground acts as a spill out space with soft landscaping and informal play integrated into the street design. The Roman Catholic Diocese invested in enhanced space standards beyond then-EFA guidance. Many of the features incorporated are those that we know contribute to lifting the character and quality of school environments, such as exposed thermal mass, natural ventilation, high levels of daylight, bright and generous circulation spaces and a variety of outdoor landscapes.