CONTEXT 186 : DECEMBER 2025 15 INFRASTRUCTURE Also controversial was the loss of the Ironbridge coal-fired power station with its four pink cooling towers, turbine hall and chimneys, which were demolished between 2017 and 2021. The Twentieth Century Society has called for the protection of cooling towers, described by artist Sir Anthony Gormley as ‘Man-made volcanos… a memorial to Britain’s great, 200-year-long romance with the second law of thermodynamics’. In the 1960s there were approximately 250 cooling towers across the UK, but with the rapid closure of coal-fired power stations this number has diminished to fewer than 30. Since a certificate of immunity from listing has been granted to all that remain, and the last coal-fired power station has recently been closed, it seems unlikely that any will survive. Such losses are likely to continue, but the growing interest in adaptive re-use of industrial structures and the need for sustainable development have resulted in some significant achievements. The transformation of the Lingotto, the legendary Fiat Factory in Turin, was a pioneering venture. Built in 1917–23, demolition was never considered when the production line was moved to other sites in the 1960s and 70s. In the hands of Renzo Piano, a successful scheme for multi-use commercial and cultural activities, including the retention of the famous roof-top testing track, was completed in 1997. The conversion of the Bankside and Battersea Power Stations in London have shown how historic infrastructure can be a catalyst to large-scale regeneration, and recent projects in the UK and other European countries have used large historic structures as landmarks in environmental regeneration. A prime example is the Kings Cross redevelopment programme, which has resulted in a network of public open spaces, streets, squares and parks providing connections with the wider city. Twenty historic buildings have been restored and given new uses, each one an integral element of the townscape. These include the three Grade II-listed gasholders that have been converted into apartments, and the neighbouring Coal Drops Yard, also Grade II listed, which is given over to retail, restaurants and cafes. The drums of the three gasholders dating from the 1860s have been adapted by architect WilkinsonEyre to stand at different heights, replicating the movement of the Camley Street Natural Park, the Regent’s Canal, the converted gasholders, Coal Drops Yard and Central St Martins (Photo: Crookesmoor, Wikimedia) The repurposed gasholders at Kings Cross (Photo: Peter de Figueiredo)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=