Project Phoenix

To redesign a derelict fossil fuel space in Hamilton for SGN.

The Project

“Reimagine fossil fuel spaces - for good”

Scotia Gas Networks invite interdisciplinary student teams to explore themes of climate change adaption and bio-diversity, health and wellbeing, community and inclusion in order to re-imagine legacy gas storage sites.

There were eight teams participating in the project who were all given a different site across Scotland to redesign. Our team was allocated the site at Burnside Lane, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. This site had a unique element to it that the others didn’t, which was it still had a gas holder on site.

Research and Ideation

SGN chose three of the UN Sustainable Develpment Goals to be a main priority in their company and for this project:

3 - Good Health and Well-being
7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

From this, our group aimed to repurpose the Hamilton fossil fuel space in a fun way that targets Sustainability, Biodiversity, Community, and Climate Change Adaptation.

Everyone in our group then created some sketches from out initial ideas. From the above, all of mine are outlined in green, which mostly focused on adapting the existing gas holder.

From this we created a three phase plan on what we aim to do with the sight; phase one is the gas holder, phase two is a wildlife area, and phase three is a refill station.

Branding

We chose the name Project Phoenix because of the phoenix’s connotations of rebirth and rising again from fire.

We felt this fit in with Hamilton because it once was filled with beautiful landmarks which are mostly now demolished or left in ruins.

Phase One - Gas Holder Landmark

The first phase that will be implemented from our site is the gas holder section. This was selected due to the people of Hamilton stating it was an eyesore but also apart of their history. Therefore we believe keeping and redesigning it to make it more appealing will be a great first step for our site and make the Hamilton community happy.

The concept shows the theme of beauty and decay by embracing the exterior and adding climbing ivy to the sides. We added beauty by making the inside a local art gallery and creating a wildflower rooftop garden.

We suggest that there could be different uses for the art gallery. It could be rented out for special exhibition events and/or there can be competitions held to have peoples artwork on show for a set length of time. This would fit in with the Hamilton community as it gives them an opportunity to showcase their creativity.Using ramps isn’t the most affordable option but it does mean the holder is accessible to everyone. We ensured this is safe for use by making the railings all at least 900mm high and having the width of the ramp 3500mm to accommodate the required width of two wheelchair users.

We believe this also fits in with SGN and their stakeholders as it is a more sustainable choice to repurpose the gas holder rather than demolishing it and it will add something new to the community while adding some more biodiversity.

I created the card models and the digital sketch, a team mate created the CAD renders.

Phase Two - Wildlife Farm

For this area we originally planned to create artificial badger setts for the badgers that are located on the site but chose not to due to the high costs that would be required to remove the concrete on the site. Instead we decided to improve biodiversity in the open concrete area with large wildflower beds and insect/bee hotels placed inside them.

The design takes on the shape of the sustainability symbol while also creating enough space to place all four flower beds and seven insect/bee hotels within them. We chose this for the second phase as it was the most affordable and would be a break between the other two more expensive phases.

The 3 large planters will be approximately 19m x 8m and the smaller circle will be 10m in diameter. We believe by having a wildlife only area it will achieve some of the goals that SGN are aiming to reach in
a unique but effective way. This concept can also easily be implemented into other sites to help local biodiversity.

We plan for it no not be fully open to the public to protect the bee/insect hotels and create a safe space for the biodiversity to thrive.

I created the card models and the digital sketch, a team mate created the CAD renders.

Phase Three - 'Renewal' Refillery

The last element of our site is a refill station. We have decided to build this to help the Hamilton community shop more sustainably while also allowing them to earn an income by being employed at the shop. We have chosen to use the site next to the gas holder as it is only a short walk from the nearby Tesco.

This could encourage more people to shop at the refillery along with their usual shop. Inside we want to sell a range

of items from tea, dried foods, cleaning products, and hand sanitiser. The shop itself would include all the produce, stations for weighing and paying and areas for which would include a break room, stock room and a staff toilet.

We contemplated a few ideas for the structure of the shop, the first being reusing old shipping containers and we also thought about using the old booster house. Unfortunately neither of these ideas would have been suitable so we decided on building it sustainably from wood on site. We also have space for an aquaponics system on site which would allow the shop to sell its own grown fresh produce, along with locally sourced fruit and veg from companies in Hamilton.

As there is a lot of green space we propose it could be used as a picnic area which is why we have a few picnic benches in the area. To improve biodiversity we included a green roof which will also aid in the insulation of the shop.

I created the digital sketch, a team mate created the card model and CAD renders.