Six finalists picked for gasholder competition

Six architects have been shortlisted for a National Grid competition to find new uses for old gasholder bases.

The finalists were picked from 104 entries in the RIBA-run competition.

They will now refine their design proposals and present them to the competition evaluation panel.

Gasholder bases are the sub-surface voids left behind when a gasholder has been dismantled. The finalists suggested future uses including a crematorium, battery storage, sports venue, parking and charging for driverless cars, a mixed-use development and housing.

Matthew Pearce, operations programme manager at National Grid, said choosing a shortlist was “extremely challenging” because the quality and range of ideas was so good.

RIBA architect adviser Russ Davenport, a partner at FaulknerBrowns Architects, said: “There has been a great response to the competition brief, with a fantastic variety of ideas at a very high standard. It is a great privilege to be involved in a competition which provides an opportunity for practices to showcase such inventive solutions for these challenging sites.”