Located in the heart of King’s Cross, Gasholder Park sits inside the restored frame of Gasholder No. 8, a Grade II Victorian gasholder that was constructed in the 1850s and was once part of the largest gas works in London. After it was decommissioned in 2000, the 25-meter-high circular guide frame was dismantled from its old location in Pancras Square, refurbished by Shepley Engineers, and reassembled and relocated in 2013 to King’s Cross next to the Regent’s Canal.
Bell Phillips Architects won a competition to design Gasholder Park in 2009. In addition to inserting the central lawn within the cast-iron guide frame, the London-based architecture firm also added a 30-meter-diameter colonnade composed of a polished stainless steel canopy. Dan Pearson Studio created a textured and colorful planting design around the frame.
Related: London’s Wilkinson Eyre Architects reveal plans to refurbish three King’s Cross gasholders into mixed use buildings
“Gasholder Park is a fantastic project which combines the industrial heritage of King’s Cross with contemporary architecture to create a unique place,” said Hari Phillips, partner at Bell Phillips Architects. “To design a new use for such a well-known London landmark was both a daunting responsibility and an unmissable opportunity. We have hugely enjoyed watching Gasholder Park take shape, and we hope that it will become a much-loved public space as King’s Cross continues to emerge as one of London’s most interesting new quarters.” Gasholder Park is located adjacent to the planned Siamese Triplet gasholders, a mixed-use development housed within refurbished gasholders.
+ Bell Phillips Architects
+ King’s Cross
Images via ARGENT, London Communications Agency
