It’ll definitely be
an interesting one. You in?

A gasholder, or gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas is stored. As the only apartments in the world to be built within a trio of listed gasholder frames, the development required a completely different approach right from the start.

The entire project team was working with the unknown. We were tasked with ensuring that the engineering solutions complemented and showcased this unique design, as well as enabling each space to function in the best possible way.

The shape and form of the building created challenges unusual for residential design. The circular aspect of the gasholders inspired architect WilkinsonnEyre to arrange the apartments around three atria. This meant the floor plates were divided into slices like a pie, laid out to take advantage of natural daylight, with the living spaces and bedrooms at the outer perimeter.

Our client Argent placed a key emphasis on coordination between the disciplines and knew we were best placed to offer a self-managed joined-up approach. Our Acoustics, Daylighting, Fire Engineering, MEP, Sustainability and Vertical Transportation teams all worked in tandem to realise the vision for these unique apartments, adopting an iterative design process, and providing one consistent voice for the architect and Argent.

The façade design was possibly the most complex aspect of the project, carefully balancing the conflicting requirements of overheating, energy efficiency, acoustics, and daylight. The result is a solution that features motorised shutters, comfort cooling limited to acoustically challenged apartments, and daylight levels in accordance with planning requirements... all with fabric and energy efficiency that goes beyond Part L compliance.

In fact, since residents have moved in, the Gasholders have been held up by the BBC as a great example of external shading design that solves the overheating most buildings suffer from during sunny hot spells.

The heritage running through the Gasholders’ external appearance is continued through to the inside, with an open circular atrium at the centre. Argent’s challenge to our Fire Engineering team was to keep the atrium feeling open, light, and airy, but also compliant with fire safety measures.

In a time of increasing urbanisation, projects like Gasholders are vital to land conservation and the regeneration of structures that might otherwise fall into disrepair. When we set out on our journey, we knew the final result would be a truly unique set of buildings that would take unused structures and breathe in new life to their historic frames. What we could only of hoped for, however, was how these finished buildings inspire and excite in equal measure... and proudly sit as a vibrant new landmark on the London landscape.