Oval Gasworks
- Category: Projects
- Date Published: 19th August 2022
- contact: Jason Rudolph
Our fearless Project Director, Jason Rudolph, who is leading the project on behalf of Rolfe Judd Architecture, bravely ascended our long-term neighbour, Gas Holder No. 1; getting up close and personal with this impressive Victorian structure that will soon be transformed into the home of a new residential community.
Our Planning and Architecture teams are working for Berkeley Homes on the delivery of the Oval Village. Originally designed by Grid Architects, Rolfe Judd Architecture have been working with Berkeley Homes to further develop the design and layout through an S73 Application. This redevelopment will provide 1,342 new homes (35% affordable), in excess of 14K sqm of contemporary office space, approximately 6K sqm of flexible commercial (including the re-provision of a Tesco store), 800sqm of waste management facilities, and community space set within 1 hectare of landscaped gardens, together with the restoration of the iconic listed Gasholder No 1.
The Grade II listed Gasholder No.1 at the Kennington Gasholder Station was built between 1877-1879 by Corbet Woodall. The view of the gasholder from the cricket ground is synonymous with The Kennington Oval. It has been the backdrop to some memorable and legendary cricket matches over many years and is imprinted on the minds of global cricket fans and the local community alike, whether this is on TV or when visiting the venue.
The existing site comprised of a supermarket, car-parking and decommissioned gasholder station, closed to the public for 150 years. The redevelopment of this key brownfield site will create new richly landscaped routes, encouraging footfall through Oval, improving and diversifying the areas ecology, providing much needed housing, and supporting 1,400 new jobs through a range of business spaces.
Each block has a unique form reflecting its location within the development and relationship to neighbouring buildings. The construction of Block D is particularly innovative, as the Rolfe Judd team has had to re-imagine and re-design the façade of the centrepiece of the development, whilst retaining the Gasholder frame in-situ.
The building itself is orientated to maximise views of the Kia Oval, another icon on the area, and another one of our most loved projects.
A big thank you to Berkeley Homes’ for allowing our Project Director, Jason Rudolph, to put his fear of heights aside with the assistance of their rigorous safety induction and briefing, allowing him to enjoy the magnificent views of our local landscape and the emerging site. We look forward to seeing the Oval Village site evolve in our backyard and seeing Gas Holder No.1 refurbished and reinvigorated.
