INTRODUCTION

• Soil investigations took place to assess the deposits beneath the Gas Holder
Site at Britannia Road, Southampton. The site lies on the edge of the Saxon
town of Hamwic and the surrounding area has produced evidence of human
activity from prehistoric times onwards. At the request of Southampton City
Council’s Historic Environment Team (HET) an archaeological watching brief
was held on the ground investigations to ascertain if archaeology survives at
the targeted locations, and to make a record of the deposits encountered.
• The soil investigations exposed London Clay, Wittering Formation, River
Terrace gravels and natural brickearth. The ground originally sloped down to
the south and east and the natural brickearth showed evidence of gleying in
the lower parts of the site, suggesting marshy ground unsuitable for
settlement in the past.
• In the higher southwest part of the site a number of the soil
investigations found burnt flint suggesting possible prehistoric
occupation, but the same deposits produced a sherd of medieval
pottery and a fragment of medieval floor tile, so the date of the burnt
flint is uncertain.
• The Middle Saxon town of Hamwic lay to the south and west, but no
evidence of Middle Saxon activity was found, suggesting the site lay
outside the settled area.
• The use of the site over the last century as part of the Southampton
Gas Works resulted in much importation of industrial waste to level the
site, and the excavation of two large holes for the gas holders. Much of
the deposits brought to the site appear to have come from the gas
works to the south and any surviving archaeology may have been
compromised by the chemicals contained in the waste, which have
percolated into the natural in some places.
CONTEXT
• The gas holders is old local landmarks. The character area includes
structures and is located on the north-eastern edge of the study area
(st mary stadium). To the north-east is Northam, outside the study
area, and to the east is the modern working waterfront of the River
Itchen . To the west is Golden Grove Estate. There are good views east
towards cranes on the wharf edge. To the south are the low sheds of
the Melbourne Street industrial estate. Excavations have shown that
Saxon Hamwic extended into this area – and it is possible that some
of the earliest occupation occurred in this area. This area was glebe
land in the nineteenth century and remained undeveloped until the
late nineteenth century
Grain
The area comprises buildings of a very coarse grain.
Scale
• The height of the gas holders by their
nature is variable but can be as much
as the equivalent of nine to ten
residential storeys
views
• There are good local views east to the waterfront where the historic
cranes on the wharf side are prominent striking landmarks. There are
uninterrupted views to the gas holders. St Mary’s spire can be
glimpsed from the grounds of the stadium.
Key design principles
■ Maintain and do not compete with, or compromise, key views
• The revitalization of existing round buildings is not a new concept.
There are for example the amphitheaters in Italy that have been
converted into living residential structures. The new element of the
project developed is the high density prevailing inside and outside the
building and the complex technical solutions. These were the facts
that enabled the realization of this project many have had a tough
time with (the loss of emptiness is a gain for density and it is only
density that creates urbanity). planning. Before adaptatıon
• The shield as an extension does not only serve as a debate between
the Old and the New or as the formulation of space and certainly not
only the economy but it is rather a visible symbol for a new content.
In a figurative sense this synergy concept refers to the Gasometer
project’s strategy of urban planning.
• Introduction
• The Gasometer are old deposits of gas supplied to the city
of southampton.
• Restoration and function change- These gasometers are host to
homes, offices, a shopping center, an auditorium and a student
residence
• Only the impressive brick facades are retained. The set consists of 2
huge cylindrical buildings constructed in brick.
• The particular location of these buildings in an industrial zone as
well as the unusual nature of the resulting spaces gave rise to what
for years were used as cultural centers for many activities.
• Placed under the guardianship of Fine Arts in England because of its
high architectural quality and still protected ,the Gasometer sat
through a long period of neglect
• Situation
• The building is physically located in the
industrial zone Southampton
• The location of the building covers several
blocks
• It borders a huge recreation area and one
of the many green areas in Southampton
Concept
•Overall, the project is conceived as a sort of self-sufficient
microcosm.

•With the combination of the offices and

residences it is intended to generate new ways of living and
working in a single area.

•Emphasizes the skill with which it can resolved the restoration of

the old deposits and creating the new building in sharply
innovative ways.

•Creation of new housing,commercial areas of recreation and

culture, and regeneration of the industrial district turn the
Gasometer into the alternative urban center of Southampton.

•Gasometer B is characterized by a continuous hall, a Shopping

Mile that contrasts sharply with the regular alternation between
straight passages (the outdoor walkways of the Gasometer) and
the covered plazas in the interior of the same Gasometer.
Materials
• Thick walls of bricks,
reinforcing the
already existing.
• Combination of
concrete, glass,
mirrors refractile,
bricks and metal
highlights throughout
the building.