Event Recap: Reimagining the Granton Gas Holder

In October 2021, Buro Happold held a design sprint to ‘Reimagine the Granton Gas Holder’ in collaboration with the Granton Waterfront Framework team Collective Architecture, LUC, and The City of Edinburgh Council.

The Scottish design community came together to offer fresh insight into opportunities for the historic Gas Holder at the heart of the development area.

Instigated by our specialist lighting team, we welcomed architects, engineers, planners, developers, and more for a creative live event where we got hands-on with sketching and modelling. This was one of the very first events for the local design community post-covid and needless to say, we were all very pleased to be able to meet in person.

The Gas Holder is situated at the former Granton Gas Works, commissioned in 1902, and saved from demolition after heritage experts raised protests in 2015. The Gas Holder is owned by Edinburgh Council and the Category B listed building is considered to be one of Scotland’s most elegant examples of industrial construction.

This central feature in the waterfront framework had been earmarked as a site for further investment and redevelopment for the community. We at Buro Happold jumped on this opportunity to share with others the insights that can be gathered from a design sprint.

With the Granton Framework as our guide, we followed the seven key principles and divided our guests into four groups each with a different central theme. All teams were armed with key information, drawing, and modelling materials and asked to create a proposal for the site. Each of our 4 teams has named their proposals and the outputs have been summarised in posters you can explore here.

The Design Sprint was a fantastic opportunity to bring together expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm from a wide range of individuals and disciplines to re-imagine and share ideas for the future of this iconic structure for future generations to enjoy.

Linda Hamilton, Planning Advisor, The City of Edinburgh Council

From the seven principles set out in the Granton masterplan guides, we selected four themes, urban, coastal, reconnected and living, which we felt would create a slightly different and interesting result between the four different design teams at the Sprint.

The Concepts

• Team One – The Granton Broch

Our first team saw the landscape and connected routes as a potential for active green space supporting sustainable and social concepts. Water purification through visible reed beds allowed learning for the community and active landscape facilities provided for community events such as forums, festivals, markets and teaching.

The Gas Holder was treated as a three-layer concept. Under the Gas Holder would be a science park connecting local infrastructure and learning, where sustainable concepts can be experienced first-hand. The transparent sculptural structure would be retained, but simply activated by repurposing the bell material as a viewing ramp or promenade up to a viewing platform, this would offer places for people to enjoy the view and experience more of the coastal location. The centre of the structure offered an ideal location for temporary events and was inspired by the idea of learning, social value and sustainability.

• Team Two – Granton 360

Team two looked to combine leisure and green energy to help create a self-sufficient attraction that supported the local community. The Gas Holder would become a visible emblem of net zero living including a gravity battery to store hydropower from the local water network. Green biodiverse space within and around the structure was facilitated by the proposal of hanging gardens, a viewing ramp, and trees within the structure. Reuse of the Gas Holder bells as community assets were tabled including a composting facility, an education centre and a new theatre.

• Team Three – Since 1900

Team three honed in on the idea of the Gas Holder as a ‘beacon of hope’, communicating the progress of carbon offsetting and therefore turning the clock on its past life. By illuminating the interior and varying the colour or height of illumination, the wider community can see the impact of local and national decisions. Making data visible for all.

A glass roof internally was suggested to allow the space to be used for events and community activities while similar ideas of a promenade ramp, hanging gardens, and viewing platform were raised.

A unique approach from this team saw the proposal to dig down and open the space below the holder into the landscape, improving accessibility and resolving some of the topography of the site. In addition, a sculpture path intermingled with blue-green infrastructure and community allotment was discussed.

• Team Four – CH4 EH5

The final team proposed a ‘life support centre’ for sustainable living, offering tools and knowledge for life. They looked to achieve this by combining a large accessible community garden and horticultural research centre with a seasonal energy store and education facilities.

Links would be created with a wider outreach programme such as growing food or construction skills in collaboration with Edinburgh College. A repair workshop was suggested to help the public to learn about repair, reuse, and repurposing.

Again a ramp was proposed with platforms performing various functions and concluding with a cafe and viewing platform. Similar to the other teams, consideration of water treatment for the local area was discussed along with an active landscape aiming to support local needs.

With views to and from this site from far afield, no wonder all our teams honed in on the need to activate the height of this structure with a ramp to entice people to the area and up the structure. All our teams wanted to make this Gas Holder repent for its previous life and offer sustainable opportunities back to the community either through education or green energy. Finally, all our teams saw the potential this site had as a venue while recognising the Scottish climate and the need for a roof to create sheltered outdoor space.

In November 2021 soon after our design sprint, ‘Level Up’ funding was awarded to support the creation of the first phase of the waterfront development and the restoration of the Granton Gas Holder. Led by McLaughlin & Harvey and Tetra Tech the ‘Gas Holder Park‘ is aimed to be delivered by 2028.

We would like your feedback to pass on to the City of Edinburgh Council to ensure the potential for this site is maximised and goes beyond making the landscape safe and accessible. Please check out our teams’ boards here and send your comments to BH.Events@BuroHappold.com.