Join this PechaKucha to explore a variety of different projects adapting and reusing London’s Victorian gasholders to enhance the modern city. 

All over London, gasholders stand as enigmatic but iconic structures of a distant past. At one time, they were crucial pieces of infrastructure that helped to light up London’s Victorian streets but now have become hollow and obsolete with growing technology. In this PechaKucha, we bring together specialists around the built environment to talk about the history of these structures and how they fit into the 21st century city.  

 

From housing to public spaces, some of London’s gasholders have exciting newfound purposes bringing a new life to regeneration areas. Others face challenges and may sadly be taken down. Dear to the hearts of many Londoners, the future fate of London’s gasholders may very well depend on the conversations we have in the present.  

 

The format, Pecha Kucha (ペチャクチャ), was devised in Tokyo in 2003 by the English architect Mark Dytham and has turned into a massive global celebration of design, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. The format makes presentations concise, keeps things moving at a rapid pace and holds its audience.