Tag: Granton Gasholder

Shortlisted Gasholder artwork designs go on display today

THURSDAY 18th – SATURDAY 20th JULY at GRANTON STATION

A piece of public art will be commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council as part of the development of Granton gasholder park.

In February the Council invited locally-based artists and creative practitioners to develop ideas for the new artwork to be co-created with the local community.

Locals and visitors to Granton Waterfront will be given a sneak peek of six shortlisted designs for the new piece being exhibited at Granton Station from Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 July.

Ideas for the selected pieces have been taken from community interests and themes connected to Granton and all of the artists have provided opportunities for the local community to participate in the design process.

One artist will be chosen by a panel of experts from the City of Edinburgh and West Lothian Councils as well as creative and cultural charitable organisations.

The winner will be announced later this month and when it is open, the artwork will be one of the focal points in the new iconic Granton gasholder park.

The Granton Gasholder and surrounding area has an important position within the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration, with active travel routes and green space connecting Waterfront Broadway and the coastal park.

The space within the restored gasholder is to have multi-sensory play zones, a dedicated area for permanent and temporary public art and one for relaxation, outdoor trails, and tracks for exercise as well as a large outdoor space for sports, markets, seasonal events, community use, festivals, performance arts, exhibitions, and play. Work will also be carried out to plant trees, shrubs and wildflowers improving biodiversity and local habitat in the area.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “The gasholder plays such an important role in the £1.3bn regeneration of Granton Waterfront.

“The structure itself is currently being refurbished allowing it to become a place where the local community and other visitors will come together to enjoy outdoor space as well as other cultural activities.

“It is really important that they are involved in this project which is why local people have been working with all of the artists to help to produce each final design.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the exhibition and very excited to see which design is taken forward to be an engaging artwork in the new park.”

Designs by

Natalie Taylor

The concept for flutterby garden is to represent some of the species currently surrounding the Gas Tower and the wider Scottish environment in nectar rich borders. The proposal features a biodiverse garden with Scottish wildflowers and plants, selected to attract and sustain pollinators. It will also provide a beautiful area to sit and enjoy the surroundings. Design elements will honour the gas tower’s industrial history, including a laser-cut steel trellis featuring artwork by local people. The garden will form a bridge between the human and non-human world, pointing out the relationship between our food system and pollinating insects.

Kevin Dagg

The Mossy Bothy, a 9metre by 4metre building, aims to create a living monument that honours the legacy of factory workers and their families while capturing  a snapshot of the natural regeneration in North Edinburgh. With sustainability at its core, the Bothy is designed to grow with the community, evolving with the passage of time and changing seasons. The building will be constructed from recycled brick with horizontal surfaces to harbour sedums.  Gradually over time as the sedum secures a footing it will start to colonise the structure, which has the potential to harbour 120sqm of biodiversity.

Bespoke Atelier/Iglu Studios

The proposal is for a playful composition of forms which inspire users to interact, perch, play and sit. The proposed artwork is inspired by the vessels of the Scottish Marine Station in Granton and wave sculptures surrounding the boat signify the coast and water. The surfaces will be tactile, inviting people to touch the patterns and feel the connection to their natural environment. The low carbon approach to materials will be complemented by a series of planting areas around the edge of the art space.

Maja Quille/Julian Stocks

The artwork will be ia geometric steel sculpture, utilising squares, circles and triangles, inspired by the historic links to lighthouses in the area and the gasholder itself. A steel cube balanced on its point, the shape references the trestle-like frame of the Granton lighthouse windows as well as the gasholder cross-beams, creating interesting sight-lines through the structure, which will frame the work when seen from different angles. Each side will be covered in a unique pattern, developed in collaboration with different community groups and abstracted through a kaleidoscope.

Aeneas Wilder

Aeneas is proposing a monumental structure made from the stacked assembly of granite stone blocks, which is an abstract geometric structure echoing the construction and engineering of the Gasholder frame itself. The design also has within it a number of symbolic references and indicators of the culture, heritage and history of the Gasholder site, the greater Granton area and the communities that live there.

The proposed structure has seven peaks, which roots the design in Edinburgh, with its reference to the seven hills on which the city is built. These peaks could also be viewed as chimney stacks setting off a chain of reference, including coal, heating, energy sources and sustainability.

Svetlana Kondakova Muir

This design celebrates the local natural environment by portraying one of the Firth of Forth’s most special visitors. A copper and bronze life-sized head of a humpback whale will appear to be emerging from underwater vertically, an awe-inspiring shape, allowing visitors to experience the full might of this incredible creature.

It will be made in a contemporary polygonal style which will complement the gasholder structure, the faceted form relating to the idea that the humpback whale is the ‘jewel’ of local wildlife. . It will incorporate bronze artworks created by local school children and college students, including an oyster reef, barnacles and other wildlife as well as tactile panels created by pupils of Oaklands School with complex support needs.

Exhibition opening times:

Thursday, 18 July, 9am-5pm

Friday, 19 July, 9am – 5pm

Saturday, 20 July, 10am – 3pm

Location: Granton Station, 1 Granton Station Square, EH5 1FU

Granton gasholder taking shape for future public park

New footage released by the Council shows the tank in the iconic gasholder frame has been infilled in preparation for the site to become a public park in the future.

Around 50,000 tonnes of infill material has been placed and compacted within the 11 x 78 metre tank ready for placement of the bentonite membrane. This follows the dramatic removal of the tank walls and bell last year.

Work is currently being carried out on the enormous amount of steel making up the structure with every steel member being looked at and repaired if required. This involves replacing corroded sections or filling holes. To repaint the structure the process involves blasting it with cooper ore which removes the old lead paint and corrosion, cleaning it down and prepping the surfaces then priming coats before the final paint colour.

The progress is the latest in the restoration of the site which began last year. McLaughlin & Harvey are completing the work on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council using £16.4m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund and an additional £1.2 million from the Scottish Government.

The gasholder, which sits at the heart of the Council’s £1.3bn regeneration project for a new sustainable coastal town at Granton Waterfront, will become an exciting multifunctional public area.

The space within the restored gasholder is to have multi-sensory play zones, a dedicated area for permanent and temporary public art and one for relaxation, outdoor trails, and tracks for exercise as well as a large outdoor space for sports, markets, seasonal events, community use, festivals, performance arts, exhibitions, and play. Work will also be carried out to plant trees, shrubs and wildflowers improving biodiversity and local habitat in the area.

Councillor Cammy Day, Council Leader, said: “It’s exciting to see this footage and the culmination of all the hard work that has already gone into bringing this fantastic project to life for the area. The transformation of the structure will give the local community a much-needed place to come together to enjoy arts, sports, and culture.

“The project forms part of the wider £1.3bn regeneration of the Granton area where we are unlocking brownfield land to build a new sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood. We’re continuing to work hard to ensure Granton is somewhere residents will be proud to live and I look forward to seeing progress continue throughout this year.

Graham Brown, McLaughlin & Harvey Senior Contracts Manager, said: “We are delighted to have reached another milestone on this exciting project.

“The Gas Holder tank has been dewatered, demolished and infilled alongside the ongoing structural frame refurbishment works. This has involved in-depth logistical planning to ensure both aspects of the project can progress side by side whilst ensuring the safety of our workforce.

“The finished paint surface is also progressing well under the cover of our immense scaffold structure and in the coming months we will commence the public realm works as the final phase of the project.”

Planning Minister, Joe FitzPatrick, said: “Derelict sites can be a blight on communities and often hold back development.

“The Scottish Government’s low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme is helping to unlock these sites by providing investment to create great places for people to enjoy, regenerating communities and tackling climate change.

“I am delighted that £1.2 million from the programme is supporting this transformative project on this historic site with the creation of a biodiverse, multi-use, and accessible park within the frame of the gas holder, opening it up to public access for the first time.”

21CC Group spearheads landmark Granton Gasholder lights project

 Leading Scottish based events company, 21CC Group recently unveiled the output of months of planning with a new project delivered in partnership with The City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh College.  

The creative lighting design company were appointed to transform the iconic gasholder tower into one of Scotland’s biggest works of art, while providing opportunities for students at Edinburgh College to work on a live creative project.  

Commenting on the success and long-term objectives of the installation, Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group explained: “We are immensely proud to have been appointed for this project, and of the results achieved by our technical production company, 21CC Productions.

“For us, it’s about giving Edinburgh a new landmark and students hands-on experience with cutting edge equipment, that will enable them to leave school, college or university with the practical skills and head start in some of the key sectors for industry growth across Scotland. 

“Over the course of the next 2 years, we are also planning to work alongside Edinburgh College to further support the students with their practical experience on the ground, introducing them to some of the newest technology available and creating a platform for them to learn more about its practical application.”  

Through providing students at the college with direct access to this equipment, it is hoped that the innovative lighting project will support the enablement of skills and create an opportunity for students to turn theory into reality across key industry sectors including theatre, media, marketing, lighting design, sound production.

 Lead lighting designer on the project – and former pupil of Edinburgh College – Neill Fleming, Lighting Technician for 21CC Group, said: “As a former student of Edinburgh College myself, who has moved into a permanent role within the industry, I am so aware of the importance of real-life experience in creating true understanding and passion for the industry.

“This is an opportunity like no other, and our installation will enable existing students the opportunity to work alongside a leading team of professionals.”  

The spectacular launch – including Edinburgh Castle-style chases around the structure – showcased the brand-new lighting displays at Granton Gasholder in all its glory.

The tower has been an important fixture of Edinburgh’s Waterfront for over a century, and the launch itself marked the beginning of a vital regeneration project undertaken by The City of Edinburgh Council, with the display proudly illuminating the skyline for a period of up to two years. 

Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group concludes, “In a year where the event industry as a whole suffered greatly due the significant economic and social impact of Covid, this collaboration is significant on so many different levels, and a true symbol of hope at such a critical time.

“We are really looking forward to supporting the college further by taking some of these students and working to immerse them in some of our larger events later on in the year too.”