Victorian era gasholders become modern residences in London

A new residential development in London’s King Cross incorporates three Grade II-listed, cast iron gasholder guide frames that were originally constructed in 1867. The three residential buildings are housed within the frames at varying heights as a reference to the movement of the original gasholders, which were dismantled and removed in 2001.

The new development provides 145 apartments, a private gym and spa, a business lounge, and an entertainment suite with a screening room, bar reception area, and private dining room. The apartments are accessed through a central courtyard. Each residential drum has its own atrium and core, which are linked by a series of circular walkways.

Residential buildings inside the gasholder frame Courtesy Wilkinson Eyre.

The apartment units make use of the circular shape of the buildings by placing the living rooms and bedrooms at the perimeter where they can receive the most natural light. The pie-shaped configuration of the grid forms open-plan apartments with expansive views and multiple orientations. The buildings’ cladding is composed of modular vertical panels of steel and glass textured with a veil of shutters that can be opened or closed at the touch of a button.

Inside a center courtyard space in the gasholders London Courtesy Wilkinson Eyre.

A fourth cylindrical volume forms an open courtyard at the center of the development and green roofs help bring nature to the urban landscape.

The project’s design team consisted of Wilkinson Eyre, Jonathan Tuckey Design, and No 12 Studio.

Interior of Gasholders London Courtesy Wilkinson Eyre.

Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.