East London's disused gasholders are being reinvented as Regent's View

regent's view gasholders vista as they were before, disused in their industrial state across the east london cityscape — (Image credit: St. William)

The Regent's View site will be familiar to those of us frequenting the popular canal walk and cafés of east London's Broadway Market and its creative community. Set by the water, in a space previously occupied by a set of large Victorian gasholders, the new residential development currently on site adds a new chapter to the life of the industrial mini-landscape that formed the neighbourhood's backdrop for years – ever since the cylinders, previously belonging to the National Grid, became decommissioned and disused over ten years ago.

Enter developer St William, a division of the Berkeley Group that tackles particular, characterful historical sites, and which engaged with architects RSHP (previously Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners) to reimagine the round entities into a new housing quarter and a publically accessible green park.

Regent's view render showing a series of five new round residential towers within reused gasholders against london cityscape

Regent’s View: a new life for east London's pair of gasholders

RSHP's design translated the original structure's circular, industrial nature into two generous towers, adding three smaller high rises to craft a modern complex within a green open space. The project, which will offer 555 new homes – some for sale, some for rent, some private and some affordable housing – will comprise about three acres of landscaped waterfront architectural gardens.

Within this composition, the two restored cylinders are set to take pride of place – and rightly so, as they are considered to be among the oldest in the world, dating back to 1866.

The homes include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 555 to 1,247 sq ft. Show units have just been unveiled within the nearby Westwood Building and the Wright Building, featuring interior design by luxury specialists MAWD that nods to the industrial nature of the site – blending black finishes, wooden cabinetry, metal details and recycled terrazzo.

Retail will also eventually be spread across the site, while, titled ‘The Frameworks’, a series of amenities for residents will include a 24-hour concierge, a creative studio, co-working space, a lounge, a screening room and a wellness area, including a Peloton Studio.

rshp.com

berkeleygroup.co.uk

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).