Page 236 - Beyond Decommissioning
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Experience and lessons learned                                    217

              Growing Underground uses hydroponics, a system whereby plants are grown
           without soil but with the help of low-energy LED lights. This allows each crop to
           grow in a carefully controlled, pest-free environment, and to produce plants of con-
           sistent quality, regardless of the weather aboveground. A high-tech irrigation system
           allows the water that grows the plants to be treated on-site and recycled
           (Independent, 2017b).
              Aldwych Tube Station was inaugurated in 1907 (originally named Strand). Used by
           thousands of Londoners as an underground shelter during WWII, the station was per-
           manently shut down in the mid 1990s, when the replacement of the elevators was reg-
           arded as too expensive for the expected revenues. In recognition of its historical
           significance, the station is a Grade II listed building. The station, which looks the same
           as it did when it was closed down, has been used for filming in Atonement, V for
           Vendetta, Superman 4, 28 Weeks Later and many others. It was also used in a security
           drill for the London 2012 Olympics.
              The station is now occasionally open for public viewing. The original lifts are still
           there, though deactivated. There is also a platform that shows the tracks laid before the
           introduction of suicide pits common on underground lines today. Part of the tour
           includes a climb down an old spiral emergency stairs and there is an original under-
           ground train still sitting at one of the platforms. The tour includes a platform closed in
           1914, which was used as a store for the National Gallery artworks during WW II
           (Daily Mail, 2012).


             Adaptive Reuse: Brief Stories of Success (3)
             Dewar’s Lane Granary was an abandoned industrial building at Berwick upon Tweed, UK. The
             Grade II listed building had overcome several proposals for its demolition before funding was pro-
             cured from a combination of public sector, commercial and charitable sources. The refurbishment
             project was managed by the Berwick Preservation Trust, and the redeveloped building now hosts a
             Youth Hostel, caf  e and community facilities together with exhibition space. The project has also
             made a significant contribution to the quality of local living, and has catalyzed further improve-
             ments and investment in the town (BPF, 2013).
               The redevelopment of the former railway area at King’s Cross, London is one of the most impor-
             tant regeneration projects in the UK. The 21-ha brownfield site is partly a conservation area and
             includes some 20 historic buildings and structures. It is also the setting for two of the greatest
             monuments to the Victorian age of railway building: St Pancras and King’s Cross Stations. Ten
             buildings were brought into use. In combination, the transformation of both stations and the rede-
             velopment of the environs has produced an entirely new and modern district in the middle of his-
             toric London. The redevelopment has created 26,000 jobs. More details include the granary
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             building converted into new home for University of the Arts and the 8000-m new public square
             (BPF, 2013). In 2018, a British designer opened a new flagship store, showroom, and offices inside
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             a Victorian coal yard in London’s King’s Cross. The transformation of the 1625 m building forms
             part of the redevelopment of the area around the major transport hub in the north of London. The
             Victorian buildings contain offices for the staff and a gallery, while the flagship store and show-
             room is located in seven railway arches beneath them (Dezeen, 2018a). See also the reuse of
             King’s Cross Gasholders in Section 6.2.4.
                              €
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               Norra Alvstranden (NA, Northern Riverside) is an area of approximately 290 ha along the north
                                                                           €
                         €
             bank of the G€ ota Alv river, opposite Gothenburg’s city center, Sweden. Up until the 1970s NA was
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