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 The helter skelter design for the King’s Cross gas holder by Feix and Merlin |
Helter skelter vision for King’s Cross gas holder is unveiled
Children could zoom around structure on slides and bounce on a giant rooftop trampoline
A GIANT helter skelter and a rooftop trampoline offering bouncing visitors views across London is one of the ideas short listed for King’s Cross’s historic gas holders, the New Journal can reveal.
Developers Argent, who are revamping the 68-acre site behind St Pancras station, will unveil a five-strong shortlist today (Thursday) for the final stages of a competition to see what the future holds for one of the gas holders.
And what at first might look like a child’s fantasy now has a genuine chance of becoming reality.
Judges working for Argent sifted through 80 different entries from architects to find ideas of what to do with Gas Holder Number Eight – one of the last remaining 1851 Grade-II listed structures in the area.
Among the designs that have made it to the final shortlist is a breathtaking concept from two architects which includes a public meeting space for community groups, a rooftop restaurant and a giant helter skelter slide to take visitors round the edges of the gas holders. The design also boasts a rooftop trampoline so visitors can bounce above the buildings of King’s Cross. The trampoline’s springy base will form the roof of a community space below.
Designer Tarek Merlin of architect firm Feix and Merlin said: “We wanted people to experience the holders up front, up close and at height. With our design you can go all the way up the holders and then round them.”
The shortlist also includes a proposal for a giant silvery ball placed in the middle of the holder.
Using technology similar to those that created the Eden Project domes in Cornwall, it was designed by architect Julian Hakes of the Hakes practice. “I have followed the masterplan for King’s Cross over the years and it was something as a practice we wanted to be involved in,” he said. “I was excited about the opportunity to do something within a historic structure.”
Gustafson Porter, the Kentish Town based design company who were responsible for building the Princess Diana memorial fountain in Kensington Gardens and the public space and water feature in the Swiss Cottage sports development, have also made the final cut. Director Mary Bowman told the New Journal they wanted to use the gasholder as an art piece and celebrate the canal near by.
She said: “We wanted to create a space to open up the canal, a place you can sit in and overlook the canal, and draw people in from along the water.”
The design includes an art piece at its centre, boasting a huge LED display.
The other options include a “serene pavilion” with water features and a landscaped garden.
The King’s Cross Conservation Area Advisory Committee member Ian Lerner said the winning design must be exciting enough to ensure workers and residents wanted to use it when businesses closed for the day. He said: “It has to provide a focal point and be used to make sure people stay in the area in the evenings.”
King’s Cross ward Labour councillor Jonathan Simpson was unimpressed by the designs. He said: “They need to go back to the drawing board and speak to people who have lived here for many years about what they would like. None of these designs acknowledge the area’s history.”
Argent’s project director Bridget Evans said: “The varied nature of the short-listed entries shows the project has captured the imagination of architects and landscape designers.” Shortlisted companies are developing their ideas further with funding from Argent, and a final decision is due to be reached in October so work can begin on the £2.5m project. |
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