Planning has been submitted for new mixed-tenure community on the former Gasworks site in Wandsworth by Common Development Ltd, on behalf of joint venture SGN Mitheridge Ltd, with MAX Architects and masterplanner shedkm.
- hybrid application for 646 new homes including senior living, open market sale and 35% affordable homes
- a new linear park and crossing along the river Wandle, regreening an old gasholder site
- a new base for the vibrant music industry in Wandsworth
- a new space for the independent Backyard Cinema
- 6,488 sqm of new workspace
- targeting real and meaningful embodied carbon savings, as well as zero-carbon-ready heating
- accessible, inclusive and welcoming
Working alongside MAX Architects, the full collaborative team includes shedkm, Carmody Groarke, BD Landscape Architects, Atelier Ten and Whitby Wood.
PLOT B Gasholder Gardens (MAX Architects)
The Wandsworth Gasworks was built in 1834 and by the early 20th Century supplied much of South West London as one of the country’s most important Gasworks. The production, storage and distribution of gas brought about enormous social and economic change, offering the first dependable source of light and heat to British homes as well as having a profound impact on town and cityscapes through the scale and presence of the unique holders themselves.
High-pressure storage brought the useful life of these extraordinary structures to an end, which began the systematic process of demolition which will result in only a handful of gasholders being preserved nationwide. All trace of the huge gas infrastructure that dominated Wandsworth’s skyline for nearly 2 centuries has now gone, except for the amphitheatre-like base of No. 9 Gasholder. This 5m cu. ft. giant, shown under construction at the top of the left image from 1958, remained in place at over 45m in height and 67m in diameter until 2020.
Unlike the handful of listed gasholder structures at sites like Kings Cross, Oval and Bromley-by-Bow, this remaining spiral guided holder could not be re-purposed in its entirety. However, the vast remaining below-ground infrastructure represents the last opportunity to reflect and celebrate the historic importance and townscape presence of this industrial past.
For the last 5 years, MAX Architects have worked on the regeneration of a number of gasholder sites with the aim of celebrating this significant history via retention and re-purposing (where possible) and referencing the townscape presence of the holders where not.
Our concept for Plot B retains the gasholder basin and references both the scale and the circular form of the holder itself. We see this retention as imperative. In embodied carbon terms alone, retaining and re-using the basin, in lieu of constructing a new basement of the same footprint, saves over 4000 tonnes EC02, which is the approximate equivalent of building 106 homes at LETI 2025 guidance rates.
If the retention of the gasholder constraint forms the rationale for the circular concept, the introduction of a Later Living use and the innovative sculpted massing are what makes the design approach work. Later Living brings a raft of shared amenity functions (some of which can be publicly accessible), which, along with commercial uses at ground enable us to create active outward facing uses on both the outer and inner faces of the circular courtyard podium. Slicing strategic cuts through this courtyard space enables us to integrate pedestrian movement through the public realm, aligning with core masterplan connectivity and opening up the site, making Plot B a key node and way-finder in the masterplan.
The circular form of the holder above has been carved out to create space and light between the blocks and a breathing space at the heart of the development. The groundscape at the centre of the massing is fully public, with shared amenity spaces, terraces and garden spaces at levels 1, 2 and 3 creating a tiered green landscape and further activating the central space. At the South East corner, a large covered opening directs pedestrian movement from Wandsworth Town Station along Old York Rd (The High St), into Gasholder gardens and then through onto the opened-up Wandle trail and up to the Thames beyond.
The three blocks above the courtyard are to be read as fragmented pieces of the original cylinder mirroring the former mass of the holder on this prominent site. High quality Later Living apartments are generous and dual-aspect, offering secure and peaceful living space away from the bustle of the mixed-use groundscape, with large inset balconies and shared gardens spaces at the level 3 plinth rooftop.
This landmark development will be at the vanguard of a new type of Later Living by placing older residents at the heart of mixed-use communities, providing downsizing opportunities for local residents, keeping disposable income in the Borough and freeing up vital family homes at the top of the chain. Ultimately, driving new home ownership throughout the housing chain.
MAX Architects have been lucky to work with a wonderful team on this project, from the forward thinking Landowner team at SGN Place in partnership with Mitheridge, to the amazing development team at Common Projects, the lovely people at shedkm (with whom we are doing a number of exciting joint projects), Carmody Groarke, BD Landscape, Whitby Wood, Atelier 10 and many others. A big thanks to all, we are hugely excited to be bringing this ground-breaking project forwards.
