Page 236 - Beyond Decommissioning
P. 236
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
2
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
2
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.
€
€
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