Gasholder Bases

Our proposal is to use the redundant gas holders to harness new technologies to deliver stable energy generation, storage and distribution for both retail transactions and autonomous vehicles. Through automation, our proposal also releases more valuable land in our cities for car free and better quality housing development.

Energy utilities, like cities are a complex interwoven network based on connectivity, distribution and the sharing of resources. The gas holder bases sites are a large portfolio across the UK. Our proposal maximises replication across all the sites and therefore offers a blended income rate for investors.

The strength of the investment is not solely based on individual sites but spread across the whole portfolio. A large pension fund or private equity firm would see this portfolio as a strong and safe investment with transferable risks and opportunities. We see the greatest benefit in developing the gasholder sites is to create a product that is not only a viable development on site but can act as the nucleus to increase the value of adjacent sites.

This project is about replacing the use and the iconic value of the gasholder sites, combining the energy storage for the future with public functions to create community involvement.

To deal with changing conditions in the energy strategy – the goal for the future is to create a smarter, more reliable, and more efficient electricity network. To guarantee a consistent output of energy the disrupting effect of unstable energy sources like wind and solar energy need to be equalised. To balance production and consumption the network of the future needs energy buffers.

We propose that the gas storage sites of the past become the network buffers of the future. The sites are well connected with the existing power grid and their position on the edge of city centres makes them perfectly located to become the iconic energy storage of the future.

Earth To Earth presents an urban and architectural scale vision for the redevelopment and rejuvenation of gas holder bases and their surrounding areas, so that they can once again can provide essential infrastructure to expanding communities nationwide.

We propose an innovative model for a layered programme of public gardens and columbaria, a new funerary landscape at the heart of our post-industrial neighbourhoods and towns: Columbarium Gardens.

Of all the funerals in the UK, 72% are now cremations as opposed to burials. People choose cremation because it is regarded as being more hygienic, cost efficient and does not involve the burden of having to maintain a grave. An absence of locally accessible, well managed cemeteries with available space are also contributing factors. In this context, we see the available gasholder sites as presenting opportunities for the development of an innovative programme that is cost effective and responsive to the issues of density and demands on open spaces within our cities. The former gasholder sites being re-purposed but still serving their local communities.

We need to build a minimum of 250,000 homes per year for the next 25 years to solve the housing crisis and over the last decade since the issue became critical we haven't even come close.

Building homes is both the greatest problem and the greatest opportunity the construction industry faces by far and any opportunity to use brownfield sites to help solve the problem must be taken.

Wherever possible, these valuable and often strategic sites should be used for new housing. Some sites will inevitably not suit new homes and these should be the target of leisure or amenity uses, but for the main part a series of repeatable and scale-able housing typologies should be developed to make use of these sites.

Highly Commended

The Gasholder Concept 'Youth Zone' responds to the strategies of the OnSide Youth Zones centres. OnSide Youth Zones is a national charity, which has an established network of 10 state-of-the-art facilities. Each centre responds to local young peoples needs, offering a range of sporting, artistic, cultural, physical and recreational activities for young people aged 8 to 19 years and up to 25 years old for people with a disability.

The Youth Zones provides an exciting destination that is accessible and affordable by all. Open every day of the year, to all children and young people in the area and especially those from disadvantaged families, whose lives may lack discipline and structure. What young people do in their leisure time has a huge impact on their well-being and on their future prospects, we consider the Gasholder Youth Zone a fantastic opportunity to address this.